The Indian Army has signed a contract with ideaForge to procure “undisclosed quantities” of high-altitude variant of SWITCH unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at a cost of approximately USD 20 million, according to a statement from the Mumbai-based company on Thursday, Jan 14.

This fixed-wing UAV, capable of vertical takeoff and landing, can be deployed at high altitude and harsh environments for day-and-night surveillance, said the statement.

“ideaForge has been awarded this contract after it emerged as the only vendor that qualified the operational requirements in an evaluation done in real-world conditions, for a fast-track procurement,” it mentioned.

The company said “undisclosed quantities of a high-altitude variant of ideaForge’s SWITCH UAV” will be delivered to the Indian Army over a period of one year. The statement quoted ideaForge CEO Ankit Mehta saying that SWITCH UAV is the culmination of insights and knowledge the company has gained over years of experience in helping the Indian forces operationalise UAVs in their ranks. “The trials saw about a dozen national and global players compete to meet the operational requirements. SWITCH UAV is the only product that cleared the Indian Army’s stringent product trials and surpassed expectations,” he noted.

Over 270 terrorists currently active in J&K

More than 270 terrorists are currently active in Jammu and Kashmir, which is less than the 2019 and 2020 figures, official sources have said. The Union Territory has seen a decrease in terrorist incidents, infiltration and civilian killings in 2020, while security forces carried out more than 100 “successful” counter-terrorism operations killing 225 terrorists, they said.

There are over 270 terrorists active in Jammu and Kashmir currently, of whom 205 are in Kashmir Valley, they said. There were 421 active terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir in 2019 and over 300 in 2020. A total of 225 terrorists were killed in 2020. As many as 160 terrorists were killed in 2019 and 257 in 2018, they said. In 2020, terrorists activities were also witnessed in so-far peaceful areas south of the Pir Panjal range in Jammu region, including Kistwar-Doda and Poonch, they said.