'Nishant' to be delivered to Army soon: DRDO

Kozhikode, May 23 (UNI) Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is all set to deliver the Multi-Mission Unmanned Aerial Vehicle 'Nishant' to the Army very soon, a top official today said.

Talking to newspersons after the 106th successful test flight of indigenously built UAV here, DRDO's Aeronautical Development Eastblishment director Elangovan said the UAV had proved its worthiness and was ready for delivery to the Army at short notice.

Nishant with a length of 4.63 m and endurance of 4.30 hours, would be delivered in phases, he said.

This would be the second indigenous UAV of the Army, the first being 'Lakshya,' the senior official said.

Developed for day/night battlefield surveillance, reconnaissance, target tracking and localisation for engaging guided weapons or artillery fire, 'Nishant''s unique feature is that it could be launched from a short length launcher and recovered by parachute.

This made the UAV system totally mobile and the aircraft could be operated without a runway, he said.

'Nishant' could also be used for civilian applications and disaster management, he said.

The 106th test flight of 'Nishant' UAV, was witnessed by senior Coast Guard officers, including DIG K Balasubramaniam and a large gathering of local populace.

The Coast Guard, which is commissioning its station at Beypore, near here, on May 25, was contemplating acquiring it for surveillance along the northern coastal belt, Mr Balasubramaniam said.

He said with the new station, the Coast Guard would be able to carry out better reconnaissance along the northern shore.

Coast Guard Director General Prabhakaran Paleri would formally commission the station, the third in Kerala and 21st in the country.

UNI PCH VD HT1737