Business News | L&T, American General Atomics Join Hands to Build MALE Drones in India
Get latest articles and stories on Business at LatestLY. 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.
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], October 31 (ANI): At a time when the Indian armed forces are looking to buy 87 medium-altitude long-endurance drones, Indian defence major Larsen & Toubro and American General Atomics have tied up to build these drones in India.
Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and US-based General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) on Friday announced that they have entered into a strategic partnership to build these drones in the country.
Under this partnership, L&T will participate in the upcoming 87 MALE RPAS programme of the Ministry of Defence, where L&T will be the prime bidder and GA-ASI 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. (ANI)
(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)