The aircraft will be weaponised to prevent unwanted intruders and will also keep an eye on pollution due to the dumping of oil and other materials in the high seas in India’s territory

BANGALORE: To prevent intrusion into Indian waters by unidentified vessels, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is developing a Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft (MMMA) for the Indian Coast Guards for surveillance. The aircraft will be weaponised to prevent unwanted intruders and will also keep an eye on pollution due to the dumping of oil and other materials in the high seas in India’s territory.

“Development of the specialised surveillance vehicle is under process,” said S Christopher, former chairman of DRDO. He was speaking on ‘Growth of Indian airborne surveillance systems’ at the first webinar organised as part of Aero India ‘19. “The MMMA will play a key role in sea surveillance of surface ships and boats,” he said.

Meanwhile, following the induction of the first version of Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS) into Indian armed forces, six bigger versions of the surveillance aircraft are currently being developed.