Prime Highlights
- India has received bids from major domestic defence companies for a ₹20,000 crore project to procure 87 MALE UAVs.
- The order will be split between the L1 and L2 bidders to create two production lines and accelerate manufacturing.
Key Facts
- MALE UAVs are designed for long-duration missions and will feature advanced intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.
- Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL), Tata Advanced Systems, Adani Defence Systems, L&T, Solar Defence & Aerospace and Raphe mPhibr Ltd. are among the bidders for the project.
Background
A new development in enhancing the unmanned warfare capability of India has taken place as the bidding for acquiring 87 medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) UAVs has come to an end. This ₹20,000-crore deal is being bid by some of the top defence companies of India, showing the increasing trend in defence manufacturing.
Among the companies that have submitted bids are Solar Defence & Aerospace, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL), Adani Defence Systems, Tata Advanced Systems, Larsen & Toubro (L&T), and Raphe mPhibr Ltd. The project is expected to become one of the largest indigenous drone acquisition programmes undertaken by the Indian armed forces.
To speed up production and reduce manufacturing bottlenecks, authorities plan to divide the order between the lowest bidder (L1) and the second-lowest bidder (L2). From this process, two distinct manufacturing lines are created, which helps make the delivery of these UAVs faster.
These UAVs are going to be equipped with top-level ISR abilities, which will help with real-time battlefield awareness. Indigenous missile systems have also been included in the development process, adding another dimension to the operational utility of these UAVs.
India has been increasingly making investments in terms of technology pertaining to both drones and counter-drone systems. The Indian Army is making moves to acquire fresh aerial target systems, also in a sense, the purchase of a swarm drone target platform system, under the Buy (Indian-IDDM) classification. The Indian Air Force is also pursuing the co-development of indigenous long-range kamikaze drones through a limited tender process.
The developments coincide with strong growth in the defence sector. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh stated that India’s defence production reached a record ₹1.78 lakh crore in FY26, reflecting a 15.6 per cent increase over the previous financial year.