Picture Credit : adgpi X/X
Three hundred eighty infantry battalions of the Indian Army have been equipped with drone platoons while elite commando units are being raised as part of a modernisation drive to bolster the force’s combat capabilities along the northern and western frontiers.
According to media reports , Lt Gen Ajay Kumar, the director general of infantry, said this while highlighting steps to enhance the strike capabilities of the infantry units.
The Army is also procuring 4.25 lakh battle carbines at a cost of Rs 2,770 crore as part of the infantry modernisation plan, he told reporters.
Lt Gen Kumar said each of the 380 infantry battalions now has an Ashney (fire) drone platoon that comprises at least four surveillance drones and six are of armed category.
The armed drones will include Kamikaze drones and precision ammunition dropping unmanned aerial vehicles, he said, explaining how the Army is initiating measures to boost the combat capabilities of the infantry battalions.
The Army has already raised five elite Bhairav battalions with nearly 250 soldiers each and it plans to have a total of 25 such battalions within next six months.
These battalions are being raised for special operations and are likely to be a bridge between regular infantry and the elite para-special forces.
“Five battalions of Bhairav have already been raised. They have already been deployed in the area of intended operations and on the job training is going on from October 1,” the director general said.
The training of the five battalions will culminate on October 30 and thereafter they will be fully operationalised, he said.
The process to raise another four battalions are nearing completion and we will have 25 such battalions in the next six months, he said.
Lt Gen Kumar said the Bhairav battalions as well as the special forces battalions, will also have Ashni drone platoons.
