Army to test drones for load carrying in Kashmir

The Indian Army will carry out logistics trials in Kashmir with the drones of city based Garuda Aerospace.

"The Indian Army has asked us to demonstrate the load carrying capabilities of drones in medium and high altitudes. The demonstration is being held at Gulmarg in Kashmir," Agnishwar Jayaprakash, Managing Director, Garuda Aerospace, told IANS.

According to Jayaprakash, the trails for the army will be held next month. The army has asked for drones with a capacity to carry 10 to 20 kg to higher altitude at a distance of five to ten kilometres.

Last month, India's space agency Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) trialed drone-based delivery of medicines, vegetables and spraying of disinfectants at its staff quarters located in rocket launch town Sriharikota.

Similarly, Varanasi Smart City carried out public dissemination, sanitisation and medicine delivery operations on trial basis within Varanasi with Garuda Aerospace drones.

According to Jayaprakash, different agencies are looking at the use of drones in their monitoring operations.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has recently made monthly video recording of national highway projects mandatory during all stages of development, construction, operation and maintenance work using drones.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) granted a conditional exemption to Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for testing the feasibility of drones delivering vaccines.

Last year when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out in the country, Garuda Aerospace bagged drone based sanitization orders from several municipal corporations and smart cities like Varanasi, Rourkela, Raipur, Chennai and Hyderabad.

The company also had bagged contracts from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana governments for spraying anti-locust pesticide in the state when there was a locust swarm attack last year.