Indian Army launches hi-tech drone-training and VR lab in Ladakh; Artrac to study space warfare

New Delhi: Advancing the training rendered to its personnel, the Indian Army has established an advanced drone training and virtual reality facility at an altitude of 4,500 metres (around 14,764 feet) in Ladakh.

In a post on X, the Indian Army’s Leh-based Fire and Fury Corps, also known as the XIV Corps, posted that the initiative stands in line with the Army’s efforts to harness innovation and technology to sharpen operational effectiveness.

It added that the initiative reinforces the Army’s commitment towards capability enhancement and battlefield preparedness.

It said that the facility marks a significant step towards building future-ready warfighting capabilities in high-altitude, integrating advanced drone training nodes with immersive virtual reality simulators for infantry, ITBP mortar fire controllers and artillery observation-post officers.

Through joint training, the Army said that participants enhance surveillance, target acquisition, fire direction and precision engagement skills, culminating in live-firing exercises using the artillery trainer.

Through the new facility, soldiers will get to practice piloting drones and gathering battlefield data, as well as experience fully immersive combat and observation scenarios.

In Ladakh, where terrain and weather are adverse, drones have come in handy for the Army for surveillance and reconnaissance, as well as to carry out maintenance and supplies to forward areas. The Army has, in recent times, ramped up its drone and anti-drone capabilities. The use of these technologies was on display during the India-Pakistan conflict in May last year.

Developing advanced technologies and creating the capability to use them sits under the Indian Army’s theme of “Year of Networking and Data Centricity” adopted for the ongoing year.

The doctrine aims to transform the force into a digitally integrated one, with immersive technologies such as VR as critical tools for modern combat, training, and operational readiness.

Technologies such as VR facilitate the training of army soldiers to experience real battlefield conditions, also helping the commanders with taking informed decisions in case a war-like situation were to play out. This helps in the overall understanding of the terrain and the region for young gunners deployed in the area.

Army studying space warfare

Meanwhile, the Shimla-headquarted Army Training Command (Artrac) is reportedly forming a study group to examine current and future threats emanating from space, the Tribune reported.

The study, titled  “Space Warfare: The New High Ground of Conflict,” identifies the future challenges presented in space as it increasingly appears to be a contested space.

The Tribune, quoting sources, reported that the project will take stock of India’s existing space capabilities and assess the capabilities of adversaries and their likely impact. It will further analyse the capabilities and doctrines of other space powers, ultimately defining emerging threats and challenges.

The space race is all charged up with major countries competing against one another, given the geopolitical rivalry.

Space has become vital to militaries world over as they rely significantly on space-based assets to carry out operations in a networked environment involving multiple platforms operating simultaneously across land, sea, air and cyber domains. Satellites play an important role in enabling services to launch ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as long-range drones.

Satellites are critical for modern long-range strikes, providing the essential targeting data, navigation, and communication required to deploy ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and advanced drones.