'Unmanned technology to be focus of future warfare'

Future warfare scenario requires multiple functionality unmanned technology with human intelligence interface and ability to coordinate multiple systems in consonance, DRDO Director General Avinash Chander said Jodhpur Monday.

Space, cyber-space and asymmetric dimensions of warfare are assuming greater importance than the traditional ones and advancement of various critical technologies, sensors, robotics, communication, advanced materials and electronics are paving way for development of unmanned warfare systems, he said.

In future, there is scope for developing unattended sensors, micro UAVs, robot sentry and autonomous underwater vehicles, Chander said.

He listed various unmanned systems used for ground applications, underwater and aerial applications and said, Unmanned Combat Areal Vehicle (UCAV), solar power UAV, aerostats would be next generation air warfare (fully autonomous mission) and future robotic warriors will be assigned well defined tasks.

Chander said that new military requirement for future robotic systems include intelligence, mobility, manipulation, battle scene awareness and friend-foe identification capabilities among others.

Elaborating on multi-dimensional battle space in the era of unmanned warfare, Chander said achieving these objectives demands high level of interaction and collaboration among scientific community, academia and industry.

Chander, Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister, also laid emphasis on emergent requirement to be proactive in policy making and to take a firm stand on developing and employing advanced unmanned systems, while summarising the national and international status of the defence unmanned technologies during a seminar on 'Future War Unmanned: Technology Challenges' at Defence Laboratory Jodhpur, which was part of the 21st 'Prof Daulat Singh Kothari Memorial Oration'.

The DRDO director general also highlighted that in foreign countries, private industries are developing humanoids for single applications.

Unmanned technology on mine laying and breaching, protection operation, logistics support, recce and support, combat operation, casualty evacuation and IED detection and handling disposal were discussed in the programme, attended by the union culture minister Chandresh Kumari and others.

Charting out the future path, Chander said levels of intelligence, ability to sense environment and to make decisions and control actions are the few challenges ahead.