AP: New UAV, chopper to help track down Maoists

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HYDERABAD: In a move to boost the antinaxal operations in the state, the government would soon be utilising an unmanned aerial veh..

HYDERABAD: In a move to boost the antinaxal operations in the state, the government would soon be utilising an unmanned aerial vehicle and a helicopter to track down naxalite movement in deep forests and take up rescue operation. The UAV and the chopper, provided to a state for the first time by Centre, would start operating from October and November respectively.
Speaking to the media on Sunday, directorgeneral of police V Dinesh Reddy said the indigenous unmanned vehicle would operate from Madhurapudi airport in Rajahmundry. "It would help us track down movement (of naxalites) even in thick forests and also send back images," he said.The unmanned vehicle would carry two payloads, one of which would take images and send the same to the control centre in a flash. "The night vision cameras can take pictures at an angle of even 360 degrees. Naxalites sometimes cook food in forests and even the smoke can be detected," he added.

The vehicle is presently stationed at the Begumpet airport and it took images of the zoo park on a trial basis. "The animals and zoo staff could be easily identified in the images," the DGP said.

The other payload carried by the craft will be able to detect voice signals transmitted through VHF and UHF sets and send the message to the control station. "With imagery and voice tracking, our fields units would be able to react swiftly against the naxalites," Dinesh Reddy said.

The maintenance cost of the helicopter, which comes up to ` 1 crore per month, would be borne by the ministry of home affairs. The chopper can be used for two hours a day, that is 60 hours of flight in a month.