Indian businesses will receive contracts for the IAF’s “Project Cheetah” to weaponize Israeli drones under the Make in India programme

New Delhi: Since the Narendra Modi administration has either halted or abandoned all significant import contracts, the Indian Air Force is now planning to move forward with Project Cheetah under the Make in India initiative, in which Indian defence companies would equip Israeli Heron drones with strike capabilities.

The ambitious Project Cheetah aims to improve the Indian Air Force’s fleet of Israeli-made Heron unmanned aerial vehicles with stronger communication capabilities and long-range missiles that can hit enemy sites.

The project was supposed to be finished with Israeli armament makers, as planned.

“Now, the IAF is planning to go ahead with the upgrade of its drones by involving Indian defence firms under Make in India in defence,” government sources told ANI.

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) is the key driving force behind the project that will also see the Israeli Navy and Army’s drones upgraded with strike capabilities and enhanced surveillance and reconnaissance pods.

For years, the three services have relied on Searcher-II and Heron UAVs from the Israeli Air Force for surveillance and reconnaissance.

The forces on the ground would be able to gather precise intelligence regarding hiding places in regions where men must participate in operations with the improvement in surveillance capabilities.

The modifications would also make it possible for the ground stations to fly these planes from afar and control them via a satellite communication network.

The surveillance capabilities of the UAVs that are expected to be enhanced would be comparable to those that the Indian Army and IAF have already acquired as a result of the emergency acquisition powers that the government provided to the forces in response to the continuing military standoff.

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