RAMANATHAPURAM:
The Indian Navy today commissioned
its 3rd Unmanned
Aerial Vehicle (UAV)
squadron at INS Parundu, a
Naval Air Station at Uchipuli,
here to strengthen maritime
surveillance and reconnaissance
off Tamilnadu
and Andhra Pradesh Coast,
today.
At a glittering function,
Vice-Admiral Anil Chopra,
Flag Offi cer, Commandingin-
Chief, Eastern Naval
Command commissioned
the INAS 344 squadron
comprising of two Israelibuilt
Searcher and Heron
UAVs.
Addressing the function,
Vice-Admiral Chopra said
INAS 344 will be the third
UAV squadron of Indian
navy, while the other two
squadrons are based at Kochi
in Kerala State in 2006
and Porbandar in Gujarat in
the year 2011.
He said considering the
strategic importance of the
region, the
Navy has commissioned the
UAV squadron to strengthen
maritime surveillance
and reconnaissance in Palk
Strait, Gulf of Mannar and
Palk Bay off Tamil Nadu
coast and Andhra Pradesh.
The UAVs would be used
for surveillance, mapping,
data collection, tracking,
analysis and other operations.
It will boost the surveillance
over the Oceans
around India, both for civilian
and military pursuits.
The UAVs will also keep a
check on piracy and illegal
fi shing by foreign trawlers.
Vice-Admiral Chopra said
Israel has expertise in UAVs
and hence India imported
them from the country.
While the Searcher
UAV could reach higher altitude
of over 15000 feet,
Heron aircraft was medium
range, long endurance and
it was a highly sophisticated
UAV for high altitude operation
fi tted with radar, camera
and transmitter.
The aircrafts would be operated
from a control room
established at INS Parundu
and they could also be operated
by the Naval ships.
During the 19th century,
the United States used Balloons
fi tted cameras for
surveillance on the enemy
countries, he added.
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