News Brief
Indian Army Overhauls 382 Infantry Battalions With Tech-Driven Weapons, Drones And Rapid-Strike Bhairav Units: Report
Indian Special Forces commandos with an Army Aviation helicopter visible in the background (Representative Image).
The Army is progressively overhauling its 382 infantry battalions with modern weapons, sensors and drone units to meet the demands of tech-driven warfare, the Times of India reported.
The upgrade spans sniper rifles, machine guns, carbines, rocket-launchers, loitering munitions, anti-tank missiles and software-defined radios, alongside new Bhairav light commando units and Ashni drone platoons.
“Multiple initiatives, institutional measures and technology transformations are being undertaken. The focus is on lethality, mobility, battlefield transparency, situational awareness, survivability, training and restructuring,” director general of infantry Lt-General Ajay Kumar was quoted as saying by ToI.
Deals signed by Army include ISR and kamikaze drones, night sights, ballistic protection, foliage-penetration radars and specialist all-terrain vehicles.
A Rs 2,770 crore contract for 4.2 lakh close-quarter battle carbines has been awarded, with about 60 per cent to be made by Bharat Forge and the balance by PLR Systems (Adani Defence–IWI JV).
“Deliveries will start in a year and be completed in two years,” Lt Gen Kumar added.
To plug gaps in man-portable ATGMs, the Army is undertaking emergency procurements including 12 Javelin launchers and 104 missiles.
“The recent graduation to the philosophy of `shoot-to-kill’ (from the earlier shoot-to-wound) has also enabled upgrade of assault rifles and light machine guns from 5.56mm to 7.62mm calibre. Vintage sniper rifles are also being replaced with .338 sniper rifles,” he added.
“Each platoon of 20-25 specially trained soldiers will have surveillance as well as short and medium-range loitering munitions,” Lt-Gen Kumar said.
The Army has also raised five Bhairav light commando battalions (250 men each) with plans to expand.
“In the next six months, we will have 25 such lean and mean battalions capable of carrying out deep strikes against high-value enemy targets. The aim is to bridge the gap between infantry units and Para-Special Forces,” he said.
The first five Bhairav units, equipped with advanced weapons, gadgets, and drones, have been deployed under 3 Corps (Dimapur), 12 Corps (Jodhpur), 14 Corps (Leh), 15 Corps (Srinagar), and 16 Corps (Nagrota).
These units complement the Army’s existing 10 Para-Special Forces and five Para (Airborne) battalions, each comprising around 620 soldiers who undergo rigorous training and are equipped with a wide range of specialized weapons and equipment.
