India's ₹25,000 Crore MALE UAV Project

planned

India is undertaking a major drone project worth ₹25,000 crore to develop Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAVs. The project aims to enhance surveillance and defense capabilities by deploying around 87 drones for the Army, Navy, and Air Force. The drones will be capable of flying above 35,000 feet for over 30 hours and will be used for border monitoring, intelligence gathering, and potential combat roles. The project emphasizes local manufacturing with at least 60% of the drone components made in India under the Make in India initiative. Major Indian companies like Adani Defence, Tata Advanced Systems, Larsen & Toubro, and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited are collaborating with foreign firms such as Israeli Aerospace Industries, Elbit Systems, and General Atomics.