@DivineHeretic i think you are pointing these pics from Yudh abhayas 2009
nothing path breaking about this, but sure it does help with intell and bird eyes view of things.
Yup. This is what I was referring to.
The command level (Brigade HQ and above) have been well versed in the use of UAVs ever since the Kargil conflict came to pass. What I'm talking about is the percolation of these technologies lower down the order, to the section level in case of SFs. Infact the technology and the skill of the operators required for this transition is at a higher level than the one required at the HQ level.
The soldier on the ground linked to the UAV is dependent on live feed and real time direct updates on the ground for effective use. At command level, the UAVs serve more as a surveillance and recon instrument, and as such real time update is not really a priority. Case in point is the usage against Naxals. The UAVs are deployed on recon duties prior to a forward push. This helps in identifying the hostile fortifications and the strength. In combat the fighting units are linked to the commmand and not directly to the UAVs. The soldier is reliant on the command for receiving feed from the UAVs, a loop which can take a fair amount of time.
The handheld UAV is not pathbreaking by itself as a new technology, but rather by the force multiplier effect these provide to a SF unit directly controlling the drone.
For a force inside enemy lines, significantly outnumbered and outgunned, this tiny bird allows the SF to identify the positions of the enemy, including live updates, allowing them to avoid hard spots wnroute to target, and indeed in attacking the target.
PS: Certain universities were approached by the IA for development of a micro-UAV some years back, presumably for the SF and the COIN QRTs in J&K. We still dont know what happened since.
