Indigenously built robots, capable of delivering ammunition at intended locations, will soon be used by the Army in its fight against terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

An army proposal, projecting a requirement of 544 robots, has been approved by the defence ministry, paving the way for the indigenous development of such machines, army officials said.

The army’s proposal for adopting robotic security and surveillance stresses that the footprint of terror has expanded from jungles and rural areas to urban sectors, necessitating the induction of the systems in the force.

“The way the situation is evolving (in J&K), it may just be a matter of time when security forces as a whole, and Rashtriya Rifles (RR) in particular, will be facing the threat in built-up and super built-up areas,” the army said, making a strong case for robotic platforms.

Involved in carrying out scores of operations daily, the RR is an elite counter-terrorism force raised in the nineties. “These robotic surveillance platforms can be extensively used by the RR forces…for gathering real-time input prior to manual insertion,” says an army note.