Indian Army to Procure UAV:
A deal to buy high-altitude drones from IdeaForge at a price of US$20 million has been signed by the Indian Army.
Highlights:
♦ Idea Forge is a start-up company created and incubated by alumni of the Institute of Technology of Indian Bombay (IIT-B).
♦ The contract is for a Turn UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) high-altitude version, which is a local surveillance system.
♦ In India`s defense procurement process, this marks a strategic change that focuses on local technologies.
♦ This is an example of how start-ups sponsored by the government will help the country grow. This is the order with the biggest contract value for any Indian drone equipment manufacturer.
Importance of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle:
The Army has ordered an advanced high-altitude version of SWITCH UAV, which is a vertical take-off and landing drone. It is a fixed-wing hybrid unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Its functions include:
-Advanced flight time within 15 kilometres.
-It is about 2.6m long, 1.8m wide, and weighs less than 6.5 kg.
-Higher protection and easy service, as well as additional redundancy that is fail-safe.
-Used for long-term operations in harsh conditions, in military, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions for day and night surveillance.
-The method of capturing, measuring and analyzing photographic images and electromagnetic radiation image patterns is the technology used in photogrammetry to gain accurate information on physical objects and the environment.
Crowd monitoring, emergency management, precision agriculture, mining, etc. are other applications of UAVs.
Defence Geo-Informatics Research Establishment by DRDO:
With the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) for Geo-hazard Management, DRDO has signed a Memorandum of Understanding agreement.
MoU Details:
♦ The goal of the MoU is to strengthen cooperation in the field of technical exchanges and cooperation in the field of sustainable management of geohazards.
♦ DRDO and MoRTH will collaborate in various mutually beneficial fields related to geohazard management, according to the Memorandum of Understanding.
♦ In order to prevent landslides and other natural disasters from adversely affecting national highways in the region, the initiative will ensure protection.
♦ It has been decided that DRDO`s (through the DGRE) expertise will be used to provide sustainable mitigation measures on various national highways in the country for damage caused by landslides, avalanches and other natural factors.
About DGRE:
The Defense Geo-Informatics Research Establishment (DGRE) is the DRDO laboratory, a leading organization in the development of key technologies that can improve operational efficiency, with a focus on terrain and avalanches. Its role and charter include mapping, forecasting, monitoring, controlling and mitigating of landslides and avalanches in Himalayan terrain. Terrain and modeling simulation are important assets of DGRE, and it will play an important role in planning and building strong road infrastructure in difficult terrains.
POWERGRID and HPSEBL Signed the OPGW Telecom Network Agreement:
By signing an agreement between Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POWERGRID) and Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited (HPSEBL) to use 500 kilometers of OPGW telecommunications network in Shimla, telecommunications connectivity in hilly areas has been enhanced (HP).
Highlights:
♦ Telecommunication service providers would be able to provide the citizens of the state with uninterrupted mobile/Internet connectivity via the OPGW network.
♦ The optical ground wire is often referred to as OPGW, or it is called optical fibre composite overhead ground wire in the IEEE standards. It is a kind of cable that is used on overhead power lines. This cable incorporates roles for grounding and connectivity.
♦ OPGW is an optical fibre composite ground wire. The cable contains a tubular structure with one or more optical fibres and is surrounded by layers of aluminium and steel wires.
♦ For connecting the tower to the ground, this layer of aluminium and steel wire is used. For high-speed data telemetry between utilities, the optical fibre in the cable is used or leased to some third parties for high-speed fibre interconnection between towns.