The Indian Army will begin trials of artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled unmanned vehicles next month, according to a recent report by The Print.
The all-terrain vehicles are designed for various missions, including surveillance and logistics operations.
Indian automotive conglomerate Kalyani Group developed one of the cutting-edge vehicles under consideration.
It reportedly “runs on both batteries and motors” while carrying up to 500 kilograms (1,102 pounds) of payload.
The Kalyani vehicle is also equipped with day and night cameras and has a maximum range of two kilometers (1.24 miles), enabling operators to conduct surveillance at long range.
It is also fitted with advanced sensors for mapping, route planning, and obstacle detection.
Defense sources revealed that the vehicle has already undergone two trials, carrying weapons and performing reconnaissance missions.
Other AI-Enabled Vehicles
According to The Print, there are other vehicles vying for selection by the Indian Army for large-scale acquisition.
One of them is built by Torus Robotics and has a larger payload capacity of 750 kilograms (1,653 pounds).
An AI-enabled weapon station called Trishul is also under consideration for the project.
It can detect human movement and automatically direct weapons fire at a range of up to 300 meters (984 feet).
The remotely-operated device reportedly has a 100 percent rate of first-round hits.
The Indian Army will conduct high-altitude trials of the vehicles under consideration in Ladakh. They will also be tested in the desert of Rajasthan.
“These vehicles can be used for extreme weather and terrain conditions and can be used for logistics, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations,” a ministry official was quoted as saying.
“These vehicles will help provide our soldiers deployed along the China frontier a technological advantage.”