India, US join hands to make futuristic soldier
Josy Joseph in Delhi | March 25, 2004 22:28 IST
Indian scientists will interact with their American counterparts on developing futuristic equipment for soldiers, according to Defence Research and Development Organisation chief Dr V K Atre.
As decided during a recent meeting of the Indo-US High Technology Cooperation Group, an agreement for joint collaboration on the issue will be signed later this year, he said in New Delhi.
According to Dr Atre, the Indian side will get to interact with the American scientists who have an ongoing project for 'Land Warriors'.
The Land Warrior Project is an ongoing US project that looks at a soldier as a complete weapon system and looks at three components -- lethality, survivability and command and control.
Costing over $2 billion and expected to be completed by 2014, the project will witness some 45,000 equipment tried and tested for shaping the perfect soldier of the future.
The DRDO will begin its own such project in June that will be called the Man Pack System Project, Dr Atre added.
The Man Pack System Project will be one of the three areas that the two sides will cooperate in, Dr Atre said.
The Indian side will look at development of equipment such as global positioning systems and radio transmitters, backpack antennas and smart vests that will be able to communicate to bases the condition of soldiers when they are wounded or ill.
Dr Atre said among the key components for such a futuristic dressing up of soldiers is miniature batteries that can be easily recharged.
Among the other areas will be various aspects of military operations in high altitudes. In this regard the Americans are keen to learn from the Indians, who have over 15 years of experience in Siachen sector.
"What has been of great interest to them is our medical ability to bring down casualty rate among soldiers in Siachen in recent years," a senior army officer said. He pointed out that there has not been a single death among soldiers in Siachen in over two years now because of new medical techniques in treating high altitude sickness.
The two sides have in recent times had bilateral seminars and interactions on high altitude medicine, and also on the susceptibility and spread of contagious diseases among soldiers in extreme weather conditions. "We would be regularly interacting on these issues also," the army officer said.
The two sides will also jointly work towards developing vaccines against biological and chemical weapons.