DRDO Netra

The Netra is a lightweight UAV, manufactured by carbon fiber composites, that uses quadcopters to provide lift and control giving a VTOL capability. It has no moving parts other than the rotors, motors and transmissions, and hence it requires very low maintenance. The use of carbon-fibre has resulted in a light weight of {{convert|1.5|kg|lb|abbr=on|0}}, which makes the Netra very portable.{{cite web|title=Unmanned aerial vehicle Netra a part of anti-insurgency operations |url=http://www.indiandefence.com/forums/indian-defence-industry/14891-now-unmanned-aerial-vehicle-netra-part-anti-insurgency-operations.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130126073014/http://www.indiandefence.com/forums/indian-defence-industry/14891-now-unmanned-aerial-vehicle-netra-part-anti-insurgency-operations.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 January 2013 |publisher=indiandefence.com |access-date=1 August 2012 }} A backpack case allows operators to carry the system to field locations to serve as the base station. It also contains the power supply, military-grade controller, hand-held operator console and the communication systems.{{cite web|last=Gupta Ray |first=Shashwat |title=UAV Netra gets into production |url=http://72.78.249.187/SakaalTimesBeta/20120106/4894880887472117130.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121129231737/http://72.78.249.187/SakaalTimesBeta/20120106/4894880887472117130.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 November 2012 |work=Sakaal Times|access-date=1 August 2012 }}{{cite web|title=UAV inducted into counter-insurgency operations |url=http://www.deccanchronicle.com/node/90251 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150109031411/http://www.deccanchronicle.com/node/90251 |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 January 2015 |work=Deccan Chronicle|access-date=1 August 2012 }}

{{See also|Quadcopter#Flight control|l1=Flight control in a quadcopter}}

Netra can be launched from a small clearing, and it can fly up to a distance of 2.5 km from its take-off point. The operational altitude of the UAV is 200 m. With an on-board wireless transmitter, it can carry out surveillance in an area of 1.5 km Line of Sight (LOS) at the height of 300 m, for 30 minutes on a single battery charge. It has a high resolution CCD camera with a pan/tilt and zoom to facilitate wider surveillance and can also carry a thermal camera for night operations. The zoom-in camera can identify human activity up to 500 m away, and can send live video feed of objects within a radius of 5 km.{{cite news|title=DRDO develops UAV 'Netra' to aid anti-terrorist operations | url = http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article498514.ece |access-date=1 August 2012|newspaper=The Hindu|date=3 July 2010|location=Chennai, India}} The images are sent through a local wireless network to laptops for monitoring.{{cite news | url = http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/three-uavs-deployed-in-uttarakhand-rescue-operations/article4859694.ece |title=Three UAVs deployed in Uttarakhand rescue operations |date=28 June 2013 |location=Chennai, India |work=The Hindu}}

Flight and navigation is independent of user-input, and is controlled by an on-board auto-pilot with the help of anti-collision sensors. The user interface offers waypoint navigation, in which the user specifies the location of the target and the UAV automatically flies to that location. A built-in fail-safe allows it to return to base if there is loss of communication with the controller or if the battery is low in power. The UAV cannot yet operate in rain and further research is being done to make it operable in all weather conditions.{{cite news|title=DRDO develops UAV 'Netra' to aid in anti-terrorist operations|url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2010-07-03/news/27602129_1_unmanned-aerial-vehicle-drdo-development-organisation|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202223323/http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2010-07-03/news/27602129_1_unmanned-aerial-vehicle-drdo-development-organisation|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 December 2013|work=The Economic Times|access-date=1 August 2012|date=3 July 2010}}

10 prototypes were made during the development stage by DRDO and they were put under tests like the temperature tests (from -10 °C to 55 °C) and high-altitude tests. After the successful trials, the UAV was cleared for production and induction. The development stage has been completed and Ideaforge is responsible for the production. The company has manufacturing capacity of 10 units per month. The base price of the UAV is ₹15-20 lakh (1.5-2 million), which can increase on purchase of additional components like a thermal camera.

Ideaforge is also working on a more advanced version of Netra, which will have an increased flight time from the present 30-minute per battery charge.

Netra has done well in the Indian market, with several central and state armed police forces procuring it, and more police units interested in its capability. With the civilian use of UAVs gaining popularity in India, ideaForge has given about 200 demonstrations to prospective buyers. The drone is designed to be used in hostage situations, border infiltration monitoring, law enforcement operations, search and rescue operations, disaster management and aerial photography. It can also be used in naxal-affected districts, in border locations across India for surveillance, and for anti-terrorist and counter-insurgency operations in dense forested areas, where it can use its camera payloads to track human activity. It can also operate in urban quarters, in situations similar to that of the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

It was deployed by the local law enforcement during a political rally in Chandigarh. Gujarat Police purchased two systems at a unit price of ₹55 lakh from IdeaForge. In July 2013 during the 136th Jagannath Rath Yatra, Ahmedabad became the first Indian city to use UAVs for crowd management.{{cite news|title=Gujarat bets on indigenous UAVs to keep surveillance & help in public security|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/20945781.cms|access-date=7 July 2013|newspaper=The Economic Times|date=7 July 2013}} Three Netra UAVs were used in Uttarakhand by the NDRF for locating people during the 2013 North India floods.{{cite news|title=Dighi defence setup to lead robotics project|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/Dighi-defence-setup-to-lead-robotics-project/articleshow/20920988.cms|access-date=5 July 2013|newspaper=The Times of India|date=5 July 2013}}{{cite news|title=How Netra UAVs helped Indian disaster relief effort|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/pictures-how-netra-uavs-helped-indian-disaster-relief-effort-387984/|access-date=17 July 2013|newspaper=Flight Global|date=5 July 2013}} It was Netra's first deployment in a disaster rescue operation. They were used in Badrinath and Kedarnath, where real-time monitoring of their video feed helped locate hundreds of survivors with precision.{{cite news |url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/to-spot-missing-survivors-3-uavs-overfly-kedarnath/articleshow/20756453.cms |title=To spot missing survivors, 3 UAVs overfly Kedarnath |date=25 June 2013 |work=The Times Of India |first1=Deeptimaan |last1=Tiwary}} The Indo-Tibetan Border Police also deployed the UAV on 24 June in remote locations like Kedarnath, Bhairav Chatti and Jungle Chatti to spot survivors.{{cite web |url=http://newindianexpress.com/nation/UAVs-look-for-survivors-as-new-landslides-rain-hamper-rescue/2013/06/25/article1651437.ece |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140424174426/http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/UAVs-look-for-survivors-as-new-landslides-rain-hamper-rescue/2013/06/25/article1651437.ece |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 April 2014 |title=UAVs look for survivors as new landslides, rain hamper rescue |date=25 June 2013 }}

• Defence Research and Development Organisation - 10 units
• Border Security Force (BSF){{cite web|title=Homeland Security turns to unmanned Systems in India. DRDO's Netra gains popularity in paramilitary forces|url=http://www.indiastrategic.in/topstories3087_Homeland_Security_turns_to_UAVs_in_India.htm|publisher=India Strategic|access-date=23 November 2013}}{{cite news|title=University students build QuadCopter|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-09-13/goa/42040169_1_uav-quadcopter-goa-university|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131009022653/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-09-13/goa/42040169_1_uav-quadcopter-goa-university|url-status=dead|archive-date=9 October 2013|access-date=14 September 2013|newspaper=The Times of India|date=13 September 2013}}{{cite news|title=Aviation assets for India's paramilitary forces|url=http://ibnlive.in.com/blogs/sauravjha/2976/65192/aviation-assets-for-indias-paramilitary-forces.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140424193856/http://ibnlive.in.com/blogs/sauravjha/2976/65192/aviation-assets-for-indias-paramilitary-forces.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 April 2014|access-date=24 April 2014|newspaper=IBN Live|date=23 April 2014}}
• Indo-Tibetan Border Police
• Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) - 12 units
• Mumbai Police{{cite news |url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-08-22/news/33322409_1_mumbai-police-uav-unmanned-aerial-vehicle |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812230230/http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-08-22/news/33322409_1_mumbai-police-uav-unmanned-aerial-vehicle |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 August 2014 |title=Raj Thackeray's mega rally: Unmanned Aerial Vehicle kept an eye on Azad Maidan |date=22 August 2012 |work=Mumbai Mirror|access-date=22 August 2012}}
• Maharashtra Police
• Gujarat Police - 2 units
• NDRF - 1
• Indian Army,{{cite news |title=R&DE's UAV Netra watching over Rath Yatra |url=http://www.sakaaltimes.com/NewsDetails.aspx?NewsId=4688190897948173560&SectionId=4924098573178130559SectionName=Latest%20News&NewsTitle=R&DE |access-date=17 July 2013 |newspaper=Sakaal Times |date=11 July 2013 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203062738/http://www.sakaaltimes.com/NewsDetails.aspx?NewsId=4688190897948173560&SectionId=4924098573178130559SectionName%3DLatest%20News&NewsTitle=R&DE |archive-date=3 December 2013 }} Indian Navy and several other state police and central paramilitary forces have shown interest in the UAV.{{cite news|last=Kulkarni|first=Pranav|title=Trials successful, Netra to enter production stage|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/trials-successful-netra-to-enter-production-stage/782092/0|access-date=1 August 2012|newspaper=The Indian Express|date=27 April 2011}}

{{Aircraft specs

|ref= [http://www.ideaforge.co.in/web/products/uas IdeaForge product page]

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|max speed note={{cite news|title=Gujarat Police uses Netra UAV to keep watch over Rath Yatra|url=http://deshgujarat.com/2013/07/10/gujarat-police-uses-netra-uav-to-keep-watch-over-rath-yatra/|access-date=17 July 2013|newspaper=Desh Gujarat|date=10 July 2013}}

|never exceed speed kmh=

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:*High resolution CCD camera or Thermal camera

}}

• Multirotor
• Parrot AR.Drone
• Indrajaal Drone Defence Dome

{{Reflist|30em}}

• [http://www.ideaforge.co.in IdeaForge official website]

• [https://www.flickr.com/photos/78966197@N08/8344840163/sizes/l/in/photostream/ Netra flying]

• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnvcmwPTnRE Netra UAV - Youtube]

{{Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)}}

{{Unmanned aerial vehicles of DRDO}}

Category:Unmanned aerial vehicles of India

Category:Military equipment of India

Rustom