With defence relations growing between India and Israel, state owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will soon export lightweight composite materials worth $100 million to that country. This material will be used to manufacture man-portable unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
The Indian Army is keen to deploy the new generation UAVs and is working on a global tender that it will soon float. According to officials, ?The new generation UAVs are considerably smaller and are man-portable. Therefore, the composites will considerably lighten the weight of the machine and enable it to fly at heights of over 10,000 feet , making it virtually immune to enemy fire from the ground.? HAL has acquired considerable expertise in the sphere of composites, which it manufactures from carbon fibres, which in turn, is imported from France and Japan.
Composites are extensively used for the indigenously built light combat aircraft and the advanced light helicopter, as also for a light attack helicopter HAL is developing.
The small size of the UAVs makes them a powerful force multiplier, as they provide infantry units on the frontline with battlefield reconnaissance data in real time.
According to officials, ?The army will obviously be looking at the best that is available and Israel too, will make its pitch. Given the fact that the army is looking at over 1,000 such machines, no one manufacturer will be able to fulfill this order. Thus, some of the Israeli UAVs could find their way here.?
India is also waiting for the delivery of the first of three Phalcon airborne warning and control systems (AWACS), which it has purchased from Israel and which are being mounted on an Il-78 platform. The two countries had last year entered into a Rs100 billion ($2.5 billion) joint venture to develop a medium-range surface-to-air missile.