THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
Mumbai, Oct 31: Indian defence major Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has signed an agreement with the US-based General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) to jointly manufacture MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance) drones in India. The development comes as the Indian armed forces are considering the procurement of 87 MALE drones.
Under this partnership, L&T will serve as the primary bidder for the Ministry of Defence’s 87 MALE RPAS project, while GA-ASI will act as the technology partner.
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GA-ASI’s MQ-series drones have already been used globally for surveillance and strike missions and are considered battle-proven, with millions of flight hours of operational experience.
L&T Chairman S.N. Subrahmanyan stated that the collaboration provides India with an opportunity to domestically produce advanced drones, thereby enhancing the country’s defence capabilities.
GA-ASI CEO Dr. Vivek Lall said that the combination of GA-ASI’s technology and L&T’s manufacturing expertise will help deliver robust and reliable MALE drones for the Indian armed forces.
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The initiative is seen as a major step toward strengthening India’s self-reliant defence production and deepening India-US defence cooperation. It is also expected to significantly enhance border surveillance and national security.
A high-level meeting at the Ministry of Defence, led by the Indian Air Force, is likely to be held soon to discuss the ₹20,000 crore project.
