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Unmanned air vehicle debuts at Aero India 2009
by Praful Kumar Singh

     Bangalore: Mantis, an autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) developed by BAE Systems, Europe's biggest defense company, made its international debut at the ongoing Aero India 2009 in Bangalore . According to BAE , Mantis can be commanded and controlled by the person on ground through computer who can decide its route and even can decide its height. "Special features are that it is very light weight, compact, flexible in operation and can be easily be carried on the back pack by two people," said Rajiv Kumar Sharma , a retired wing commander. The Mantis UAV advanced concept technology demonstrator programme brings together technologies, capabilities and systems demonstrating the potential of a large unmanned autonomous aircraft. The unmanned next generation UAV that automatically detects and manages all information at the target area or the specific site was displayed on the first day of the five-day Aero India 2009 inaugurated by Defence Minister A K Antony. The UAV is designed in a manner that it can gather information over a span of 20 metres. The design also provides flexible surveillance and reconnaissance capability with external payload, including weapons capability. The 5.5 kilogram UAV has an in-built color camera; it is also well equipped with a data link and video link. According to reports, India has projected a large requirement for UAVs. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd ( HAL ) and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) are working together to convert the HAL -built Chetak Helicopter into an UAV. India plans to spend 30 billion dollars on imports over the next four years to modernise its largely Soviet-era arms as India asserts its military power in South Asia . In its last budget, India had raised its defence spending by ten per cent to 26.5 billion dollars for 2008/09 fiscal.
-Feb 12, 2009