As the Indian armed forces plan to acquire 87 medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) drones, Indian defence giant Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has partnered with American firm General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) to manufacture these drones in India.
On Friday, L&T and GA-ASI announced a strategic collaboration to build the drones domestically. Under this partnership, L&T will act as the prime bidder in the Ministry of Defence’s upcoming 87 MALE RPAS programme, with GA-ASI serving as the technology partner.
The collaboration will enable the production of GA-ASI’s MQ-series RPAS that are combat-proven. These are widely operational across the globe with millions of flight hours in surveillance and strike missions.
The partnership marks a significant milestone in India’s pursuit of a self-reliant defence ecosystem, strengthening Indo-US defence collaboration and fostering a competitive, globally integrated aerospace manufacturing base.
Commenting on the development, S N Subrahmanyan, Chairman & Managing Director, L&T, said: “This partnership offers India a unique opportunity to manufacture state-of-the-art unmanned platforms indigenously. We are proud to join hands with GA-ASI, a recognised world leader in this domain, and are confident that this alliance will significantly enhance India’s defence capabilities and advance self-reliance in aerospace technologies.”
Dr Vivek Lall, Chief Executive, General Atomics Global Corporation, said: “We are honored to serve the Indian market in partnership with Larsen & Toubro, a trusted and capable leader in India’s defence sector. This collaboration exemplifies our commitment to supporting India’s vision for self-reliance and indigenous manufacturing in aerospace. By combining GA-ASI’s proven technology with L&T’s robust manufacturing expertise, we aim to deliver cutting-edge MALE RPAS solutions that will enhance the operational readiness of the Indian armed forces and contribute to a strong, sustainable defence ecosystem in India.”
At a time when Operation Sindoor against Pakistan is still ongoing, India is looking to fast-track the project for acquiring 87 medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) drones to further enhance its surveillance capabilities over both sea and land borders.
A tri-service proposal of around Rs 20,000 crore, with the Indian Air Force (IAF) in the lead, is expected to be discussed by the Defence Ministry at a high-level meeting soon. (with inputs from ANI)
