The Indian Air Force is now planning to move forward with its Project Cheetah under the Make in India route, where Indian defence manufacturers would equip the Israeli Heron drones with strike capabilities. This is because all significant import agreements have either been put on hold or cancelled by the Narendra Modi government.
The ambitious Project Cheetah aims to improve the Indian Air Force’s fleet of Israeli-made Heron unmanned aerial vehicles with stronger communication capabilities and long-range missiles that can hit enemy sites. The project was supposed to be finished with Israeli armament makers, as planned.
Now, the IAF intends to proceed with the modernization of its drones by enlisting Indian defence companies under the Make in India in Defense programme.
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) is the project’s principal leader, and it is also expected to improve the Israeli Navy and Army drones with strike capabilities and better surveillance and reconnaissance pods.
For years, the three services have relied on Searcher II and Heron UAVs built in Israel by the IAF for surveillance and snooping operations.
The forces on the ground will be able to gather precise intelligence regarding hiding places in regions where men must participate in operations thanks to the improvement in surveillance capabilities.
With the enhancements, the base stations would also be able to operate these aircraft from afar and control them via a satellite communication system.
The surveillance capabilities of the UAVs that are expected to be enhanced will be comparable to those that the Indian Army and IAF have already received the government’s emergency acquisition powers given to the services in response to the continuing military standoff.
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