Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in Defence
Context: In the recent India-Pakistan war, over four days of hostilities, both sides effectively rewrote their rules of engagement, ushering in a ‘new normal’ of airborne deterrence without pilots, but with autonomous platforms, armed drones, and loitering munitions.
Important Pointers:
Definition: UAVs are aircraft operated without an onboard human pilot; can be remotely piloted or fully autonomous.
Common Name: Also called drones or Remotely Piloted Vehicles (RPVs).
Key Properties of UAVs:
Vertical Landing: Only certain UAVs (like quadcopters & VTOL drones) can land vertically; fixed-wing drones cannot.
Hovering Ability: Only rotary-wing UAVs (e.g., quadcopters, helicopters) can hover in place.
Power Sources: Range from batteries (small drones) to gasoline, hybrid, fuel cells, and solar (larger UAVs).
Autonomous Operation: Equipped with GPS, obstacle avoidance, and automated flight paths.
Payload Versatility: Can carry cameras, sensors, weapons, medical kits, or parcels depending on use.
Military Applications:
Surveillance & Reconnaissance: UAVs like Heron and Nishant are used for long-duration intelligence gathering.
Combat Operations (UCAVs): Armed drones such as Ghatak, Shahed 129, and Predator for precision strikes.
Swarm Drones: Coordinated fleet of drones used in combat (e.g., Gaza, Saudi Aramco attacks).
Kamikaze Drones: Also known as loitering munitions; explode upon hitting the target (e.g., used in the Ukraine war).