DRDO develops India's first unmanned tank, Muntra; rolls it out of Chennai lab

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed India’s first unmanned tank, which has three variants – surveillance, mine detection and reconnaissance in areas with nuclear and bio threats. It is called Muntra (Mission UNmanned TRAcked) and has been rolled out of the Chennai lab. [caption id=“attachment_3870729” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. DRDP website[/caption] According to The Times of India, though the tank has been developed and tested for the army by Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE) in Avadi, paramilitary has expressed interest to use them in Naxal-hit areas. The tanks will facilitate Indian Armed forces in conducting unmanned surveillance missions. Muntra-S has been developed for unmanned surveillance missions, whereas Muntra-M is built for detecting mines. Muntra-N will be deployed in areas where nuclear radiation or bio weapon risk is high, The Daily Bhaskar reported. The tanks have been tested and validated at Mahajan field firing range in Rajasthan. The Muntra tanks have surveillance radar, an integrated camera along with laser range finder, which can be used to spy on ground target about 15 kilometres away. Two of these tanks were put on display at an exhibition organised by DRDO as a tribute to former president APJ Abdul Kalam. Besides heavy weights, the DRDO also showcased a few inventions like a handheld wall penetration radar which if placed on a wall will project on a screen the presence of people inside a building. DRDO chairman S Christopher was quoted by Business Insider as saying that the organisation was working on installing AWAC (Airborne Early Warning and Control System) on an A330 aircraft. The system is now perfected for use on a smaller Embraer plane.