The Author is Former Director General of Information Systems and A Special Forces Veteran, Indian Army

On November 12, 2024. Indian firm 'JSW Defence Private Limited', which is part of the JSW Group, announced a strategic partnership with American defence technology company 'Shield AI Inc' to indigenise and manufacture Shield AI's 'V-BAT 'fixed-wing Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) in India. As part of the partnership, the JSW Group will invest around $90 million in the next two years, with $65 million allocated in the first 12 months to establish JSW's global compliance programme, and a manufacturing facility to ensure proper technology licensing and manpower training.

The V-BAT is a fixed-wing, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL), long-endurance intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) platform, currently deployed by multiple armed forces globally, including the US Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs). It provides cutting-edge ISR functionality in a highly tactical system capable of being forward deployed in complex and adversarial territory to provide a range of flexible solutions to special forces, front-line infantry, armoured, and artillery units. V-BAT has a unique patented ducted design with the advantages of a small logistics footprint and ease of rapid deployment.

JSW Defence announced a partnership with Shield AI to manufacture the V-BAT fixed-wing UAS in India, with a $90 million investment planned.

JSW Defence Private Limited issued a statement, saying, "This collaboration (with Shield AI Inc) marks a significant step in boosting India's defence capabilities by bringing in world-class UAS technology to the country (India). This investment will enable JSW to establish a local supply chain and create an advanced facility in India for manufacturing, assembling, and testing V-BAT aircraft (a Group 3 UAS). This effort will enable large-scale production of V-BATs in India to serve the needs of the Indian armed forces and also function as a global production hub for Shield AI."

Parth Jindal, Managing Director of JSW Group said, "Our collaboration with Shield AI is in keeping with our commitment to induct mission-critical technologies for deployment by the Indian armed forces and play an integral role in indigenising defence technology in India. Through this partnership, we will be able to supply indigenous V-BATs at scale, provide flight operator training, and end-to-end maintenance, repair & overhaul (MRO) services to the Indian armed forces."

Shield AI's President and co-founder Brandon Tseng said, "Shield AI is excited to enhance the Indo-US strategic partnership through collaboration with JSW Group, strengthening our commitment to deploy cutting-edge UAS technology globally and harness India's vast engineering and manufacturing talent. India, designated as a Major Défense Partner by the United States in 2016 and elevated to Strategic Trade Authorization Tier 1 status in 2018, is one of only two countries with this designation – the other being the UAE, where Shield AI also has offices."

The Indian Army is actively pursuing advanced high-altitude surveillance drones to enhance its border security.

Concurrently there is news that the Indian Army is looking for advanced, state-of-the-art. High altitude surveillance drone copters capable of effectively operation in extreme and varied terrain; on plains, deserts, mountains and high altitude exceeding 4,500 metres. These high-altitude drones are considered essential to boost the intelligence and surveillance capabilities of the Indian Army along India's vast and challenging frontiers.

The Indian Army wants state-of-the-art drones that are resilient and versatile to meet its unique operational requirements of high-altitude areas. The specifications required are: one, Altitude and Terrain - the surveillance drone copter should be able to take off from heights above 4,500 metres and operate at altitudes of 5,000 metres. This capability is essential for monitoring India's northern borders; two, All Weather Day Night Operations – the drone must be able to operate in all types of weather and both by day and night, to enable 24x7 surveillance especially in areas that are frequented by bad weather and low visibility; three, Modular Design - the drones required are of modular design in order to ensure these can be upgraded to meet the fast advancing drone technology in the future, enabling their customisation to the new battlefield; four, High-Resolution Imaging and Real-Time Transmission – the surveillance drone copter must be equipped with cameras having high resolution, capable of capturing clear detailed images and videos and transmit them in real time to the commanders on the ground for decision making; five, Operational Range and Duration – the drone copter must have an endurance flying time of minimum 60 minutes (one hour) and an operational range of at least five km, to ensure continued surveillance, especially in difficult area, without frequent landings and take-offs; six, Satellite-Based Navigation System – the surveillance drone copter must be compatible with a global satellite-based navigation system, to ensure accurate positioning and reducing the risk of losing contact in difficult terrain.

The US military tested the AI-enabled autonomous 'Bullfrog' robotic gun system to counter low-cost drone threats.

Amid the deluge of low-cost armed enemy drones faced by US troops abroad, the US military is looking for protecting ground forces from this threat from above. At the Technology Readiness Experimentation (T-REX) held in August 2024, the US Department of Defense (DoD) tested an artificial intelligence-enabled autonomous robotic gun system developed by 'Allen Control Systems'. Named 'Bullfrog', this AI-enabled weapon system consists of a 7.62mm M240 machine gun mounted on a specially designed rotating turret outfitted with an electro-optical sensor, proprietary AI, and computer vision software. The Bullfrog is designed to deliver small arms fire on drone targets with far more precision than the average soldier can achieve even with the next-generation XM-7 rifle.

Published footage of Bullfrog in action by ACS showed the truck-mounted system locking onto small drones and knocking them out of the sky with just a few shots. According to the 'Defense Daily', Alex Lovett, the deputy assistant secretary of defence for prototyping and experimentation within the Pentagon's Research and Engineering office, told reporters that the testing of the "low-cost" Bullfrog solution went really well. Should the Pentagon adopt the system, it would represent the first publicly known lethal autonomous weapon in the US military's arsenal. For ACS co-founder and CEO Steve Simoni, the best way to optimise a firearm for drone threats isn't through novel accessories or enhanced training, but a combination of advanced robotics and a sophisticated AI that can take the guesswork out of target acquisition and tracking.

Zen Technologies introduced Barbarik, the world's lightest ultralight remote-controlled weapon system, supporting a range of armaments.

In November 2024, Indian firm 'Zen Technologies' introduced 'Barbarik' – the world's lightest Ultralight Remote-Controlled Weapon System (URCWS). This is a breakthrough technology enabling precision targeting to ground vehicles, naval vessels and static defence positions. Signaling a new compact weapon system that keeps personnel safe, Barbarik is designed to enhance battlefield effectiveness and can operate weapons between caliber of 5.56mm and 7.62mm – making it highly adaptable.

Equipped with state-of-the-art sighting systems, Barbarik uses thermal images, laser rangefinder and high-precision optics to ensure accuracy and reliability under operational conditions both by day and night. Supporting a variety of armaments like the 7.62mm and 12.7mm machine guns, 40mm automatic grenade launcher and anti-tank gun missile (ATGM), Barabrik offers a tremendous flexibility. Its dual weapon capability enables configurations like a 12.7mm machine gun paired with a 7.62mm machine gun or a 12.7mm machine gun with a 40mm grenade launcher. Such pairing enhances the combat effectiveness.