The defence ministry has approved the upgrade of Heron Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The upgrade will include arming some of these drones, sources said.
The decision comes amid the India-China standoff as the Indian military is preparing for enhancing its surveillance capabilities at the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The Heron UAVs are already being used in the forward areas in Ladakh.
In February this year, during the defence expo in Lucknow, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) from Israel and Dynnamatic Technologies Limited signed an agreement for manufacturing of drones.
The defence ministry on Tuesday approved proposals for procuring and upgrading UAVs and also paved the way for speeding up the procurement of AK 203 rifles to be used by the Indian Army.
