New Delhi, Sept. 30: The armed forces will procure unmanned aerial vehicles made indigenously after the government today asked the army to issue an order for 12 aircraft, report our special correspondent.

The cabinet committee on security (CCS) today decided to boost the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s project to manufacture the pilotless aircraft.

The 12 UAVs ? four will be bought in the first phase ? will cost around Rs 1.5 crore.

The army and the air force use mostly Israel-made Heron and Searcher UAVs for surveillance. Nishant aircraft has been used for target practice by anti-aircraft gunners.

Defence minister Pranab Mukherjee said the CCS has also approved a project to build up a computerised database of the inventory of the Army Ordnance Corps.

The ordnance corps is the custodian and supplier of all items used by the army. A rough estimate of the inventory of 4,89,000 items (from pins to bombs and much more) puts the value at more than Rs 50,000 crore.