Army to deploy Drishti-10 drones near Pak border in Punjab

The Indian Army’s surveillance capability along the border with Punjab is all set to get a boost as the force is set to deploy its Drishti-10 medium-altitude, long-endurance drones at a forward base in the Punjab sector.
The drones are expected to be inducted into the force in the next two to three months by the Indian firm Adani Defence. The Indian Army has placed orders for two of these drones from the firm under emergency provisions that mandate that the systems supplied by vendors should be more than 60 per cent indigenous and should be under the ‘Make in India’ in Defence.
The Indian Army has plans to deploy these drones in the Punjab sector, where it can keep an eye on a large area, including the desert sector as well as the areas north to the Punjab, military officials said.
The Indian Army is already operating the Heron Mark 1 and Mark 2 drones and has also placed orders for the Drishti-10 or the Hermes-900 drones under the last tranche of the emergency procurements approved by the government for the forces.
Adani Defence had signed a deal with the Israeli firm Elbit for the transfer of technology for the drones and stated that it has indigenized 70 per cent of the birds and will work to increase it further. The Indian Army has also inducted more satellite communication-enabled birds from Israel, as it has a few Heron Mark 2 birds in direct deals with Israeli Aircraft Industries.
The drones were unveiled earlier this week by Indian Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar and Director General Army Aviation Lt Gen Ajay Suri in Hyderabad.