In a major step toward modernising its armoured capabilities, the Indian Army is looking to develop home-grown loitering munitions that can be deployed directly from the 81mm smoke grenade launchers of its main battle tanks, specifically the T-72, T-90, and Arjun models.
This requirement was recently unveiled under the 14th edition of the Defence India Start-up Challenge (DISC 14), an initiative spearheaded by Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) to foster domestic technology solutions.
The move signals a strategic shift towards giving tank crews their own organic Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) surveillance and strike tools right at the platform level.
Recent combat experiences globally have highlighted how vulnerable traditional armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) have become to modern, asymmetrical threats.
Tanks face mounting dangers from anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) fired from hidden positions, small mobile anti-tank units, light ambush forces, and the rising use of drones for scouting and targeting.
Because these modern threats often use the natural terrain to hide and attack from a distance, traditional weapons that rely on a direct line of sight are no longer sufficient.
Currently, tank crews must depend on their primary guns, secondary weapons, or external drone support to spot and fight these hidden dangers.
However, lacking a BLOS system directly on the tank leaves crews at a severe tactical disadvantage in fast-paced combat.
The newly proposed loitering munition aims to solve this problem. It will provide the tanks with their own built-in reconnaissance and precision strike abilities without requiring extensive structural changes to the existing vehicles.
The core concept relies on repurposing the standard 81mm smoke grenade dischargers already fitted on the tanks. The system is designed to safely eject a compact munition that will then autonomously transition into powered flight.
Once in the air, the drone will perform real-time intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) sweeps of the immediate battlefield, actively seeking out and tracking hidden enemy positions.
A crucial technical requirement for this new system is the ability to search for targets and navigate autonomously.
It must also feature secure communication channels to ensure seamless data transmission and operator control.
Furthermore, the system needs to be fully operational in both day and night conditions, guaranteeing that tank crews maintain constant situational awareness regardless of the environment.
Beyond simply gathering intelligence, these drones must possess a lethal edge.
The loitering munition is expected to carry out precision strikes against selected targets.
This capability will allow tank operators to engage and destroy hidden threats long before they enter the tank's direct line of sight, vastly improving the crew's chances of survival and giving commanders more flexibility in complex combat zones.
Given the dynamic nature of battlefield operations, safety and reliability are paramount.
The Army has specified that the munition must include safety mechanisms that meet global standards.
These include an abort function, a controlled self-destruct mechanism, and mission termination overrides in the event of a malfunction or lost connection. These fail-safes are vital to preventing accidental detonations and minimising collateral damage.
Finally, a major constraint for defence start-ups and developers is ensuring complete compatibility with the Army's existing fleet.
The military has stressed that the new system must require only minimal modifications to the tank turrets and related subsystems.
This approach guarantees that the loitering munitions can be rapidly integrated into the current arsenal of T-72, T-90, and Arjun tanks without the need for lengthy or expensive retrofitting.
