(Photo for representation.)
New Delhi: The Indian Army is seeking to procure 10,000 advanced hand-held thermal imagers for enhancing its surveillance capabilities. For this, the service has issued a request for information (RFI) from manufacturers and vendors.
The Army spelled out the specifications it requires in the devices. The RFI says the devices must be capable of day and night surveillance up to three kilometres with high-resolution optical viewers. The devices should also have digital and thermal sensors, long-range finders, and magnetic compass capable of measuring the magnetic bearing. (A magnetic bearing is the horizontal angle which a survey line makes with the magnetic meridian.)
Apart from these features, the RFI says the devices must have the ability to be integrated with satellite navigation systems, like the United States’ Global Positioning System (GPS) and India’s Indian Constellation (NavIC). The devices should also have recording facility and storage of a minimum of three hours of standard-definition (SD) videos with removable storage devices.
The RFI specifies that the weight of these devices must not to exceed three kilograms each.
The Army has given vendors until December 26 to respond to its RFI on these hand-held thermal devices. After receiving their responses, the Army will study them and then float a request for proposal, which is expected to be around June next year.
According to sources privy to this matter, the Army is looking to procure these devices in a phased manner within a timeframe of six months to two years.
