India: New Delhi invents Titan, a tank-killing drone
India has introduced a robot equipped with missiles specially designed to penetrate tank armour. The drone, called Titan Autonomous Tank Killer, weighs 2 tonnes and is manufactured by Gridbots Technologies.
India is developing in many areas, including robotics. After developing combat and intelligence robots to improve its defence capabilities, the country has now developed another multi-purpose drone capable of destroying tanks.
It was the Indian Ministry of Defence that presented this new development to the general public.
This autonomous combat aircraft will be tested during a military exercise involving the Indian army, navy and air force.
Weighing in at a staggering two tonnes, this machine has been specially designed to autonomously detect and destroy enemy tanks, providing a powerful addition to New Delhi’s defensive arsenal.
Titan features
The Indian tank-killing robot is unique in its weaponry. It is autonomous and equipped with the latest-generation Amogha III missile designed by another Indian manufacturer: Bharat Dynamics Limited.
This is a portable missile with a «fire and forget» capability, meaning that once launched, the weapon guides itself and no longer requires the intervention of the gunner.
The Amogha-III also features a tandem warhead, made up of two separate explosive charges that detonate one after the other.
The first charge, called a precursor charge, penetrates the enemy’s armour, creating a hole inside which the second charge explodes, maximising the damage inflicted on the target.
The use of a tandem warhead remarkably improves the missile’s ability to shoot down heavily armoured targets.
Thanks to its versatility, the drone is equally useful in direct attack and overhead attack modes.
However, the Titan is not limited to pure offensive firepower. This tank killer has other advantages, including a top speed of 20 kilometres per hour for mobility on the battlefield, which is no mean feat for such a heavy aircraft.
What’s more, witha radio range of 20 kilometres, it is capable of maintaining fluid communication with command structures and other units scattered across a theatre of operations.
Titan is also atypical in its adaptability. With its generous payload of 1.5 tonnes, the drone can fulfil a variety of roles depending on its equipment.
These range from inspection to surveillance and reconnaissance. This machine is equipped with an automated target tracking system which, combined with a thermal sight, guarantees meticulous identification and engagement of enemy targets.
New Delhi is no stranger to effective military drones. Industrialists have already developed several autonomous military devices, designed for combat scenarios and usable for tasks such as surveillance, target acquisition and even enemy engagement.
These robots are equipped with advanced weapons systems and can operate in environments that are difficult to access.
