DRDO Netra

The DRDO Netra, whose name means "Eyes" in Sanskrit, is a lightweight, autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle built for surveillance and reconnaissance. It was created through a collaboration between the Research and Development Establishment (R&DE) and IdeaForge, a private company based in Mumbai.

Design and development

The drone is constructed from carbon fiber composites, which keeps its weight down to just 1.5 kilograms. It uses quadcopters for lift and control, giving it vertical takeoff and landing capability. Apart from the rotors, motors, and transmissions, there are no moving parts, so maintenance requirements are low. The entire system fits into a backpack case that operators can carry to field locations; this case also serves as the base station, containing the power supply, a military-grade controller, a hand-held operator console, and communication gear.

Capabilities

Netra can take off from a small clearing and fly up to 2.5 kilometers from its starting point, with a maximum operational altitude of 200 meters. On a single battery charge, it can conduct surveillance for 30 minutes within a 1.5-kilometer line of sight at 300 meters altitude. It carries a high-resolution CCD camera with pan, tilt, and zoom for wider coverage, and can be fitted with a thermal camera for night missions. The zoom camera can identify human activity from up to 500 meters away, and it sends live video feeds of objects within a 5-kilometer radius to laptops via a local wireless network.

Flight and navigation are fully autonomous, controlled by an onboard autopilot with anti-collision sensors. The user interface supports waypoint navigation: the operator specifies a target location, and the UAV flies there automatically. A built-in fail-safe returns the drone to base if communication with the controller is lost or if the battery runs low. The Netra cannot currently operate in rain, and further research is underway to make it all-weather capable.

Trials

During development, DRDO built ten prototypes and subjected them to tests ranging from -10°C to 55°C, as well as high-altitude trials. After these successful tests, the UAV was cleared for production and induction. IdeaForge now handles manufacturing, with a capacity of ten units per month. The base price is between ₹15 and ₹20 lakh (1.5 to 2 million rupees), which increases with optional components like a thermal camera.