Last month, India issued a pair of Requests for Information (RFIs) seeking mobile counter-UAS systems to bolster the survivability of its armored units against the growing threat of hostile drones.

The solicitations, released by the Directorate General of Mechanised Infantry and the Directorate General of Armoured Corps, outline plans to procure 75 counter-UAS units for T-90 and T-72 tanks and 250 units adapted to BMP-2/2K infantry fighting vehicles.

Equipping T-90 and T-72 tanks

According to the RFI for tank-based systems, traditional anti-tank threats have been expanded in scope by the omnidirectional nature of drone attacks, including those posed by loitering munitions, kamikaze drones and swarm formations. With limited options to further increase passive armor protection on legacy tanks, the Army is now looking to enhance survivability through active counter-UAS integration.

The platform-based systems are intended to augment battlefield resilience without degrading existing tank capabilities. The final system will be required to function in India’s diverse operating environments, from deserts to high-altitude regions.

System requirements

The desired C-UAS system must support both soft kill and hard kill measures. The specifications include:

  • Detection capabilities for various types of drone threat including FPV, swarm and loitering UAVs, using active and/or passive 센서.
  • Soft kill systems to jam RF communications and GNSS signals across wide frequency bands, including GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo and IRNSS.
  • A hard kill interface that can cue the tank’s existing anti-aircraft machine gun based on directional, speed and elevation data.
  • All-weather, mobile operation with ruggedized subsystems that maintain tank mobility and NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) protection standards.

A modular open architecture is also specified to support future upgrades, integration of additional sensors and AI-based threat classification.

관련 콘텐츠: 인도 육군 참모총장, 총체적 대응 무인항공기 시스템의 필요성 강조

Requirements for BMP-2/2K integration

The second RFI, released seeks a more extensive deployment of counter-UAS systems on BMP-2/2K armored vehicles, with an initial target of 250 units. These systems will be deployed across varied operational theaters, including deserts, high-altitude regions and island territories.

System requirements

In addition to basic detection and jamming capabilities, the BMP-based counter-UAS system must:

  • Integrate with existing 30mm cannon and 7.62mm coaxial PKT weapon systems for hard kill.
  • Detect RF signals up to 6 GHz or higher.
  • Utilize soft kill options like GNSS spoofing, RF disruption and metadata injection.
  • Include built-in test equipment for diagnostics and field maintainability.
  • Be capable of AI-enabled threat classification, multi-target tracking and directional jamming.

Vendors must also ensure that the system fits within the BMP platform without interfering with vehicle operation, crew safety or amphibious capability.

관련 콘텐츠: 인도 군, 안티드론 탄약에 대한 RFI 발행

Indian industry emphasis and lifecycle support

Both procurements fall under India’s “Make in India” initiative, encouraging domestic manufacturing through either indigenous development or technology transfer.

Vendors will need to confirm their willingness to meet industrial licensing requirements, demonstrate financial and technical capacity and provide life-cycle support including spares, test equipment and technical training.

The RFIs explicitly request support for long-term sustainability through a Life Cycle Support Contract, requiring vendors to ensure long-term maintenance support, including spares and repairs. The T-90/T-72 RFI specifies capabilities up to the ‘I’ level in-house and ‘D’ level with OEM assistance.”

The acquisitions will follow the “Single Stage – Two Bid” system, requiring both technical and commercial proposals. Qualified systems will undergo technical evaluation and field trials in India on a “No Cost No Commitment” basis, followed by commercial evaluation. Final selection will be made based on technical compliance and lowest price.

관련 콘텐츠: 인도 공군, 드론 군집 위협에 대한 대응책을 모색하다

이미지 크레딧을 게시합니다: Cell105 via Flikr under attribution license