Indian Army to induct 18 indigenous FF BOT firefighting robots for high-risk depots, boosting safety and response in extreme fire emergencies.
The indigenously developed FF BOT firefighting robot, showcased at Army House, will be deployed at high-risk military installations (Photo: File)
The Indian Army has signed an agreement to procure an indigenously developed Fire Fighting Robot, known as the FF BOT, to improve safety during fire emergencies at high-risk installations, especially armament and ammunition depots.
The agreement was signed last week, on January 13, by the Army’s Directorate of Capability Development. Under the contract, the Army will acquire 18 FF BOTs at a cost of ₹62 crore.
The bot was also displayed at Army House during Vijay Diwas celebrations in December 2025.
The FF BOT is an unmanned ground firefighting system developed by Swadeshi Empresa Pvt Ltd, an Indian start-up. It has been built under the Ministry of Defence’s Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) initiative.
The robot is designed to operate in extremely dangerous conditions—such as fires involving explosions, toxic smoke, intense heat and the risk of structural collapse—where it is unsafe for human firefighters to enter.
Although the FF BOT was originally developed under the iDEX framework for the Indian Navy, the Indian Army is procuring the system for the first time. This has been made possible through provisions that allow one Service to acquire iDEX products developed and tested by another Service.
The system was cleared after undergoing a Single Stage Composite Trial. The Army Design Bureau supported the project, reflecting the Army’s effort to promote defence start-ups and indigenously developed technologies under the Make in India programme.
The FF BOT is meant for use at ammunition depots, armament storage facilities, fuel storage areas, oil refineries and industrial plants. The robot is remotely operated, allowing firefighters to control it from a safe distance.
The system is equipped with optical and thermal cameras, which enable the transmission of live video feeds to handle the situation better. Thermal imaging helps identify hotspots along with hidden flames that are difficult to find through smoke. This helps in improving situational awareness during firefighting operations.
This allows responders to assess conditions while tracking the spread of fire and making informed decisions in low-visibility and high-risk environments.
The FF BOT has already been used in civilian firefighting operations such as the Visakhapatnam refinery. Officials said this demonstrated the system’s usefulness beyond military installations.
According to officials, the robot can also be deployed at power stations, airports, fuel storage sites and during disaster response situations where access for human firefighters is limited or unsafe.
The contract covers the procurement of 18 firefighting robots for Rs 62 crore, including a two-year warranty and five years of comprehensive maintenance. It include an on-site service support for a total of seven years.
Induction of the FF BOTs is scheduled to begin in the first week of April. The systems will be deployed across various cantonments in the country.
The FF BOT was the first iDEX SPRINT project under DISC-7 which received an Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) in 2023. The iDEX initiative aims to create an ecosystem for innovation in defence and aerospace by engaging start-ups and private industry.
Officials said the FF BOT is intended to support, not replace, human firefighters. By allowing unmanned systems to enter the most hazardous areas first, the robot reduces risk to personnel while ensuring a faster and safer response during fires in sensitive environments.
