Optiemus drones clear 19,000 feet at Umling La pass

Optiemus Unmanned Systems Private Limited (OUS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Optiemus Infracom Limited (One of India's telecommunications and electronics manufacturing group), announced today that it achieved a critical milestone at the Him Drone-A-Thon 2024. The Indian Army organised the event, which took place in Leh-Ladakh from 16th to 24th September, 2024. It tested improvements in India's most advanced unmanned systems. 

The initial set of trials took place at Wari La Pass, with successful businesses moving on to demonstrate their drone capabilities at Umling La Pass, the world's highest motorable pass at 19,200 feet.

OUS displayed the high endurance Vajra 65 and Vajra 100 quadcopter drones, as well as its refined mission capabilities, such as loitering weapons (Bomb Drop Capabilities) and long-range surveillance. OUS claims that it outperformed expectations and established new standards and records for essential mission parameters, as well as key accomplishments in both the Wari La and Umling La trials. In accordance with OUS, this milestone demonstrates the OUS Vajra series' dependability and performance in some of the world's most extreme circumstances.

Ashok Gupta, Executive Chairman of Optiemus Infracom Limited, stated, "At OUS, we are thrilled to spearhead the development of homegrown drone technology, which will help strengthen India's defence and surveillance capabilities. OUS's participation in Him Drone-A-Thon 2 2024 reaffirms its commitment to developing innovative, high-performance unmanned systems that answer the expanding demands of current defence and industrial applications.

According to OUS, at Wari la Pass, located at an altitude of approximately 15,000 feet (AMSL), the Vajra 65 successfully completed a loitering munitions mission by travelling 5,000 meters in one direction and reaching a maximum altitude of 17,460 feet (AMSL) with a flight endurance of 50 minutes and a bomb drop from 328 feet. The Vajra 100 also performed admirably in surveillance, reaching a range of 5,000 metres and a height of 18,280 feet (AMSL) with an excellent endurance of 80 minutes. It also achieved a service ceiling of 19,921 feet (AMSL).