India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has “handed over the production document” of High Explosive Preformed Fragmentation (HEPF) shells to the Director General of Naval Armament Inspection.
The decision is “paving the way” for the induction of a new capability against drone swarms at sea a government statement confirmed on 3 September 2024.
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Chairman of the DRDO, Dr Samir V Kamat, congratulated ARDE for handing over responsibility for the procurement details. Sendior DRDO scientists and officials from naval headquarters were present during the ceremony.
This 30-millimetre munition is manufcatured by at a DRDO laboratory, the Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE), based in Pashan, Pune just south of Mumbai.
Some of the shell’s features are similar to the in-service ammunition (HE/I Shell), meaning it can be fired from the existing AK-630 naval gun. Four of these close-in weapon systems operate on the bow of the Navy’ Visakhapatnam-class destroyers.
Notably, the HEPF shell yields better fragmentation lethality than HE/I shell, making it effective for neutralisation of drone swarms. The HEPF shell hardware was manufactured by three Indian companies as per ARDE specifications and subjected to gun firing proof tests in association with Naval Armament Inspectorate, Jabalpur. The test results confirmed the suitability of the HEPF shell for its adaptation in AK-630 gun.
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By GlobalDataRecent conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine war have illustrated the utility of repurposing consumer uncrewed aerial system (UAS) technology for defence applications, with the implications of this trend beginning to influence both tactical and strategic considerations within global defence circles.
As spending grows in the increasingly accessible sector – which GlobalData says will grow from $11bn to $18bn in the next ten years – more formidable techniques are being used, such as swarming. True swarm technology will drive the widespread adoption of Counter-UAS systems.
As UAS improves in terms of size, weight and power and becomes cheaper to produce, with almost complete autonomous capabilities achievable, swarming (defined as multiple autonomous aircraft networked together) is anticipated to increase the use of UAS in defence missions. Such a threat generates the incentive to cultivate a corresponding C-UAS.
