(a) whether India has developed its own unmanned defence systems like UAVs
(Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) and UUVs (Unmanned Underwater Vehicles) to save
the lives of troops;
(b) if so, the details thereof; and
(c) if not, the time by which these systems are likely to be developed?
MINISTER OF DEFENCE (SHRI PRANAB MUKHERJEE)
(a) Yes, Sir. DRDO has developed two types of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles –
Lakshya & Nishant. Development of underwater autonomous vehicle has not been
undertaken.
(b) The reusable Unmanned Aerial Target Vehicle `Lakshya is used for training
gun and missile crew. It has been developed. Tactical UAV `Nishant` used for
battlefield reconnaissance and target acquisition has been developed by DRDO.
(c) Development work on underwater autonomous vehicles is planned to be
undertaken by March 2005.