Source : Indian Defence Updates (IDU)
BSF and ITBP to evaluate Archer-SR UAV for Border surveillance
The Border Security Force (BSF) and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) will start evaluation of the Archer Short-Range Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (Archer-SR UAV) with the maximum operational altitude of 22,000 feet and an endurance of up to 12 hours.
The Archer can gather critical visual and thermal data for facilitating efficient detection and tracking of potential threats and it can also be equipped with air-to-ground munitions weighing 5 kilograms and can also be armed with air-to-surface missiles.
Archer-SR UAV has already undergone several tests carried out by ADE and DRDO in which it has performed pretty well. Earlier it was speculated that the IAF and IA will procure a limited amount of Archer-SR UAV for their operations but it was never met, although it is still under consideration by the IAF and IA and they haven’t rejected it yet after watching the Nagorno Karabakh war between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the Russia Ukraine war, in both of which short range UAVs were heavily used. BSF and ITBP to evaluate Archer-SR UAV for Border surveillance IgMp
