This is the primary time such a system has been developed in India.

Hyderabad:

A Hyderabad-based robotics agency has unveiled a state-of-the-art autonomous anti-drone system, powered by synthetic intelligence. The system can defend not simply important installations like nuclear installations and oil rigs, but additionally a large space encompassing even a whole metropolis, from a number of drones of any sort. This is the primary time such a system has been developed in India.

This superior full-spectrum drone safety system functionality was demonstrated stay on the outskirts of Hyderabad by Grene Robotics, a deep-tech firm that specialises in offering AI-powered safety options for defence, enterprise, and authorities sectors.

Named Indrajaal, it’s mentioned to be the world’s solely wide-area Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System (C-UAS). It can present a complete and built-in safety mechanism towards transferring threats that can’t be tackled with static defence techniques.

Uttarakhand Governor Lieutenant General Gurmit Singh, who served because the Deputy Chief of Army Staff from 2014 to 2016, sees Indrajaal as a futuristic resolution to India’s safety challenges within the defence, public infrastructure, and personal sectors.

“We will never forget the June 27, 2021 drone attack on the Jammu airport and the June 15 Galwan attack. At that time, we wondered what solution we had against drones and swarms. Today, Indrajaal has given us the answer and shown that it is possible.”

Kiran Raju, the founding father of Grene Robotics, which was established 12 years in the past, says that Indrajaal’s design makes use of a LEGO-like mixture mechanism that gives 12 distinctive layers of know-how powered by synthetic intelligence.

“The system provides 360-degree protection, with the ability to detect, identify, classify, track, and neutralise threats in real time. The threat lifetime can be as short as 30 seconds to a few minutes,” Mr Raju mentioned.

Indrajaal is designed to defend towards all lessons and ranges of autonomous drones over an space of 4,000 sq. kilometres.

“From low radar cross section (RCS) threats to medium and high-altitude long endurance (MALE and HALE) UAVs, loitering munitions, smart bombs, rocket showers, nano and micro drones, swarm drones, and more, we have it all covered,” mentioned Wing Commander Sai Mallela, co-founder of Grene Robotics. He had earlier helped develop the Integrated Air Command and Control System for the Indian Air Force, to undertake network-based operations, and in addition helped orchestrate a multi-million greenback import substitution for the forces.

Lt Col Gurmit Singh, who has headed models that neglected the Line of Control in Kashmir and has additionally labored in border points and counter-terrorism, factors out that India has seen a big enhance in hostile UAV exercise previously couple of years. This contains makes an attempt to drop weapons, cash, and narcotics throughout the border into Jammu and Punjab areas, in addition to missions to surveil Indian safety forces.

In 2020, there have been 76 reported circumstances of hostile UAV exercise in India. This quantity elevated to 109 in 2021 and 266 in 2022. In the primary 8 months of 2023, there have already been 200 reported circumstances, drawing consideration to the necessity for heightened vigilance and counter-measures to safeguard nationwide safety.

Mr Raju says that within the close to future, we are going to see loads of drone exercise, and 95% of them might be pleasant drones quite than threats. “Indrajaal can identify friendly drones from foes.”

On the fee, Mr Raju says, “If I am building the Telangana secretariat for Rs 200-300 crore, this system would cost about Rs 5 crore. This is a typical capital infrastructure cost to protect what you are building. For example, level 4 data centres have fire protection, and they also need drone protection as part of their capital infrastructure.”

Wing Commander Sai Mallela explains that present deployments have limitations, as stand-alone techniques will not be scalable or sensible. “Only radar-based detections are inaccurate at low radar cross section (RCS) and close to the ground. They are even incapable of identifying the operating radio frequency.”

Besides, jamming can solely delay an assault, not cease it. Laser weapons require a big, non-moving goal, and there’s no countermeasure to mitigate a swarm assault. Existing level defence-based anti-UAV techniques depend on bodily sighting, however drones are a transferring goal.

The makers of Indrajaal are assured that their system can defend massive defence bases, areas just like the National Capital Region (NCR) that has a number of crucial buildings, worldwide borders, and forestall assaults throughout VIP motion or big crowds, towards UAVs, low radar cross-section (RCS) missiles, sensible munitions, and even swarm drones.

“A simple refinery oil field could be spread over 300-400 square kilometres. The uniqueness of this system is that it can be deployed as a single system over that entire area, ensuring no conflict of command and control, because there is a single decision center. This is a huge benefit in terms of operation, command and control, and costs. We are heavily indigenous, which is a significant step in itself,” says Wing Commander Sai Mallela.