Pictures emerging from different war zones of the world, especially Iran and Ukraine, have shown a new truth of modern war. Now not only the missile attack, but the fire that follows is becoming the biggest threat. To deal with this threat, the Indian Air Force has prepared the indigenous FF Bot i.e. firefighting robot.
In fact, the war between Iran and Ukraine has made it clear that future wars will be decided not only by weapons, but also by technology and response systems. In such a situation, indigenous systems like FF Bot are not only making India stronger, but are also proving to be a big step towards self-reliant defence. Recently, this robot was demonstrated during the Vayu Shakti 2026 exercise, where it was said to be specially designed to deal with the situation after an attack on the airbase.
In Iran, the massive fire that followed the attacks on a fuel depot near Tehran and the cookoff that followed the bombings in Isfahan showed that even a small attack can turn into a major disaster. Similarly, after the attacks on ammunition depots in Ukraine, fires and explosions continued for several days. According to experts, if the fuel storage, weapons depot or hangar of the airbase is damaged, the entire base may come to a standstill even if the runway is fine.
FF Bot has been developed by Swadeshi Empresa Private Limited under the iDEX program. This robot works especially in those places where it is very dangerous for humans to go. This robot has the ability to work even in extreme heat. Operation by remote control, and has thermal imaging capability to see even through smoke.
Apart from this, it has the ability to rotate 360 degrees, has the facility to extinguish fire with water and foam and can also provide information to commanders through live video feed. This robot can go to high-risk areas like fuel depot, weapon store, aircraft hangar and control the fire in the initial minutes.
According to defense officials, now not only the ability to attack but also keeping the base operational after the attack is equally important. FF Bot is part of this base survival strategy.
By including it, the Indian Air Force clearly indicated that the role of automated systems is going to increase in future wars.
This robot has been developed under the iDEX (Innovations for Defense Excellence) scheme. Through this scheme, more than 300 companies have received orders worth more than Rs 1500 crore. FF Bot has been designed after several trials with the Army, Navy and Air Force, making it completely as per the actual requirements.
The most dangerous time in modern warfare is immediately after an attack, when the risk of fire and secondary explosion is greatest. At such a time, the human team cannot go inside immediately.
This is where FF Bot plays the most important role. It goes to those dangerous areas and controls the fire and also assesses the damage.
