In a bid to sharpen its edge in counter-terrorism operations, the Army is looking to buy nearly 1,600 ballistic shields, 15,000 ballistic helmets and 7,000 body worn camera systems from Indian vendors through the fast-track procedure. All the three equipment have been accorded ‘Acceptance of Necessity’ by the government earlier this month.
The ballistic shields, which will come with a harness, will be of NIJ Level IV and provide protection from ammunition and splinters during an operation. The shields — which will come with a supporting harness for its hands free carriage—are required to be modular and should be able to provide frontal protection to the soldiers and will have an ambidextrous design. Weighing around 20 kg, they should be comfortable to carry and not impede movement with a service life of a minimum of five years.
The cameras – which can record audio and video and can be worn easily on the chest – will help troops capture real-time videos and images. They will have a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels and be lightweight with a battery life of 12 hours of recording with a minimum of six years shelf life. Their demonstrations will be conducted at the Northern Command headquarters in Udhampur.
The ballistic helmets will have the ability to protect soldiers from high-speed rifle bullets during training and operations and replace existing fiberglass helmets in use. The helmets come in three sizes, designed to be used comfortably for a long time and offer protection from bullets fired from 5 m or more. They are expected to have a service life of eight years.
Defence officials said these equipment will provide a definitive edge to troops in counter-terrorism operations. Bulk of the army’s anti-militancy operations take place in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Aside from providing adequate protection to the troops during counter-terrorism operations, the body cameras will also help the army make right decisions in instances of alleged human rights violations during cordon and search duties and actual operations,” a defence official told News18.
The official added: “The videos and images recorded in the cameras will provide the correct and crucial evidence in such cases.”
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