New Delhi: To boost its capabilities in drone warfare, the Indian Army is making every effort. The 21 Corps Zonal Workshop in Bhopal under Southern Command of the Indian Army has come out with a homegrown long-range fixed-wing surveillance drone, named SOM, to boost the Army’s ISR capabilities.
According to a leading media report, the drone SOM drawing lessons from Operation Sindoor was developed by Southern Command. It quoted an Indian Army official as saying, “It was designed with emphasis on endurance, range, and flexibility. The SOM drone has an operational range of 30 km in a one-way mission profile and can operate at altitudes of up to 2,000 metres above ground level.”
As per the report, the platform, with features such as automatic take-off, position hold, and area survey, is suitable for sustained surveillance over contested or sensitive areas and has an endurance of 120 minutes with speeds reaching up to 90 metres per second. It will help address operational needs identified by field commanders during operations and military exercises.
Equipped with a daylight camera capable of recording 4K video at 30 frames per second, the drone offers a combined zoom capability of up to 180×, making it highly effective during ISR operations. With real-time video telemetry up to 30 km, without latency, it allows commanders to make time-sensitive decisions.
