Indian 350 Portable Explosive Detectors: The Indian Army is planning to buy around 350 portable stand-off explosive detectors to improve its ability to find hidden bombs and IEDs. The equipment is meant to help soldiers detect explosives without having to touch or go close to a suspicious object.
The Army’s Combat Engineers Directorate has issued a Request for Information (RFI) for hand-held systems. These devices must provide what the Army calls “safe stand-off inspection”. The systems should be able to find traces of military explosives, commercial explosives and homemade explosives without physical contact. They must also give a clear result within 30 seconds.
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What will the New Explosive Detectors Do?
The proposed equipment needs to work with different types of explosive material. The Army wants the systems to detect both organic and inorganic explosives. They should also be able to identify explosive traces found in vapour, liquid, powder, particles and mixed forms.
The aim is to keep bomb disposal teams and other personnel at a safer distance while checking suspicious objects. Faster detection can also help troops make quicker decisions during operations.
Why Does The Army Need Them?
IEDs continue to be a security threat in parts of India. In September, security forces defused an IED in Awneera village in Shopian. Earlier in April, the Army recovered a 14.3 kg IED on the Zainapora-Chitragam road in Shopian. The device was reportedly planted to target a security forces convoy. Another search operation in Poonch in February led to the recovery of a 4.5 kg IED, another smaller device and two Chinese grenades.
The threat has also appeared in other parts of the country. The NIA recently arrested more people in connection with the January IED blast at a police station in Himachal Pradesh. A separate case last year involved a car explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort and the seizure of nearly 3,000 kg of explosives linked to the suspected module.
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Part Of A Bigger Counter-IED Upgrade
The 350 detectors are not the only equipment being added to the Army’s counter-IED plans. The Combat Engineers Directorate has also sought information on around 250 telescopic manipulators. These tools can let bomb disposal teams examine and handle suspicious objects from at least four metres away.
The Ministry of Defence also floated a tender in May worth around ₹290 crore for 386 dual-technology mine detectors. These systems are designed to detect both metallic and non-metallic mines and IEDs.
Push For Indian-Made Defence Equipment
The new detector procurement will be handled under the Buy (Indian-IDDM), Buy (Indian) and Buy and Make (Indian) categories of the Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020. Vendors will need to provide details about their Indian manufacturing capacity and locally made components. They must also state whether at least 50% of the overall indigenous content comes from materials, software or components made in India.
India has already developed local explosive detection systems. In 2024, detectors developed by DRDO, the Department of Atomic Energy and ECIL were handed over to the Intelligence Bureau. The Army also signed an ₹80 crore contract with Larsen & Toubro for 223 DRDO-designed chemical agent detectors.
The current RFI is the first stage of the procurement. After the Army finalises its requirements, it will issue an RFP. Equipment that clears technical checks will then face field trials in India on a no-cost, no-commitment basis before the lowest-cost compliant bidder is selected.
