During his visit to the United Kingdom and Italy, chief of Army Staff General MM Naravane will be meeting his UK counterpart to discuss anti-drone technology

General MM Naravane, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) is on an official 4-day visit to the United Kingdom and Italy from July 5-July 8, 2021. During the visit, he will be meeting his counterparts and senior military leaders of the two countries with an aim of enhancing India’s defence cooperation.

MM Naravane's visit to the United Kingdom is scheduled for two days (05 and 06 July 2021) during which the COAS will interact with the Secretary of State for Defence, Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of General Staff and other dignitaries. He will also be visiting various army formations where he will exchange ideas on issues of mutual interest.

The UK and Indian governments are currently in discussions about partnerships and sharing of expertise in four key capability areas: Cyber, Army modernisation, Maritime Technology, and Future Combat Air Systems.

The Chief of Army Staff will be discussing the new challenge of drone attacks and how agencies and industry can work for Future Combat Air Systems, official sources said. The UK has a major role to play in the development of India’s indigenous combat air capability. Under the Defence and International Security Partnership (DISP), the UK and India have formed six bilateral working groups as subgroups to the Defence Consultative Group. India and UK have been working together to develop relationships between the Army, Navy, Air Force, Science & Technology, Equipment, and the Joint Environment.

The UK has a unique, world-leading technological and industrial-military offer as the second-largest defence exporter in the world, the UK understands drive-in India towards self-reliance in the defence sector. The Chief of Army Staff will be interacting with military leadership in the UK to look for the aspects of the co-creation of technology; to not only ‘Make in India’ but also ‘Create in India’ through the co-development of Intellectual Property for the Army. Looking to the threats of drone and UAV attacks, Indian Army establishments are aggressively onto a mission of deploying anti-drone systems.

The UK has a one-of-a-kind Counter Drone system that works by detecting and tracking drones in surrounding airspace and alerting airports of unauthorised drone use quickly and efficiently. This system also works to locate the drone pilots themselves and can be used to identify their location.

This technology has been specifically designed for Heathrow Airport by Operational Solutions Ltd and comprises a variety of leading counter-drone technologies. According to the official sources, the Indian Army Chief will be reviewing the possibilities of these British Counter Drone technologies for India.

During the second leg of his tour (07 and 08 July 2021), the Army Chief will be holding important discussions with the Chief of Defence Staff and Chief of Staff of the Italian Army. Additionally, the COAS will also inaugurate the Indian Army Memorial in the famous town of Cassino and will be briefed at the Italian Army’s Counter IED Centre of Excellence at Cecchingola, Rome.