Indian UAV Procurement Programs : General Discussions

Subgradewalker said:
Firstly, it was not a claim I made but a question in my mind. I will be Happy to be updated. 👍

My rationale being : It's outdated because these drones won't get inducted anytime soon. By the time they do get inducted, next gen systems will be used by our adversary. As is happening now.

Remember.. this is just manufacturing. How much assembly will be there from US kits and how much indian made ones.. is well.. drishti-10.

It wouldn't be a problem if our industry was great at absorbing technology through transfer. But it isn't. It lags far too much to be efficiently absorbing it. Only successful programs have been which saw R&Dd from start... Since for some reason we are averse to reverse engineer and add it to academic and manufacturing discourse.

- Right now it's 87, what about after that? As our budget grows, capex grows, 87 will multifold. 87 is not enough, nowhere enough. It just fits the projected capex available to forces. So, later they will issue another RFP for advanced systems.. gov will negotiate again and import untill that tech is outdated enough to shift the production line?

Ofcourse, i am no seer and India could see a miracle and become STEM R&D focused nation. But I am just contemplating by looking at how things stand currently.
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Imo, propeller driven MALE drones is all we can hope to get from abroad. The IAF originally wanted upto 100 MQ-20 Avenger C jet-powered LO UAVs from GA. The US said no (likely on ITAR grounds).

Until Trump 1.0, the US was only ready to sell us unarmed drones for ISR (which led to the IN leasing 2 Sea Guardians).

The IAF clearly knows these birds are vulnerable. They probably think that stand-off weapons like JAGM (apparently under consideration at AHQ) would give the Reapers a fighting chance. A debatable idea considering our neighborhood.

IDDM options like Archer-NG would be the best choice, imo. We need cheap drones that can be mass produced in India.
 
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marich01 said:
The threat identification matrix first need to be established, contextualized and for a very new gen threat that is fast evolving it takes some time esp for those who are seeing from the outside. Without this baseline properly identified, the solution or counter strategy you will develop will not be able to sustain the same effect as you would hope for. Most of your strategy will turn out void once the threat has evolved into another level very quickly.

In theory this gamut of fpv threat itself is evolving, and fiber optic worked in Ukr because the terrain suit it. This same aspect will find huge problem in a mountain region with huge undergrowth or heavily masked landscape where there are not that much free space available for the drone to continue flying. Hence correct analysis of this threat, where it work best & where not, what strength it offers etc first need to be established in literature form, then the counter will be developed with scope for further adaptation.


Ask the 2 sides battling it out in Ukr & Rus flat land to fight it out in the bushy thick growth mountain narrow pathways , in numbers like we deploy and you will see the strategy will evolve into another due to obstacle faced in drone op. Many aspects will remain valid, but many won't. That is why in battle there is never one single solution, it is a very dynamic process that evolves tactically with time.
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That is complete BS. To begin with, fiber optic FPVs works better under challenging conditions such as thick vegetation than any other type of drones. There are footages of Russian FPV drones flying kms through thick forests hunting for enemy positions. Even if that's true, much of Indian borders with the enemy isn't thick vegetation, its farmlands, deserts and high altitude deserts.

marich01 said:
Drones have been used for some time by the army, but putting explosives on it was generally considered a dirty tactics worldwide. What is happening in Ukr, like those long range drones striking apartments in both countries, or small fpv against infantry level use both cases are example of such a dirty tactics that is non conventional warfare.
For context imagine in place of explosives, some CBRN agent was put in those drones, what would be the effect?
IA and in general we as a country take threat matrix very seriously, our response to such petulant event that you cite (like something revolutionary in warfare, which it is not that much, its more of a cowardice tactic) would be so severe for the enemy that they will think twice, thrice multiple times before even employing such tactics again. Response is the key element why Pak had to stop within 4 days and Rus-Ukr ongoing for more than 4 years. Everybody is a boss, until the real boss walks in is apt in war
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Again, that's another stupid excuse to mask incompetence. What's next? May be Ambushing enemy reconnaissance team is also "dirty"? May be bombing enemy from 20,000 feet high is "dirty"? Or firing artillery shell against an unaware enemy 40km away is "dirty"? May be we should go back to duels? What a Joke.. Reminds me of the Indian airforce's obsession with dogfights in what obviously an age of bvr warfare.



Ukrain for all purpose developed a superior form of warfare. They were smart, and skillful enough to come up with new tactics to defeat a white elephant. I mean, how they destroyed Russian tank Armies & how they defeated and chased away Russian black sea fleet and its capital ships, are nothing but a testament to it's ingenuity. Something Indian state or it's Military not known for.No one is looking down on them sir, everyone is looking at them with admiration. Most likely Indian navy will also find itself in the same position as Russian navy if she doesn't take new challenges seriously.

And what exactly is Indian state is going to do even if they use CBRN agent against infantry? At best we will also use it or b!tch about it to a world that will give lip service. We are talking about a country that didn't do anything after enemy sent thousands of terrorist all throught 90s to kill tens of thousands of our people or when it financed and conducted Multiple teror attacks throughout our hinterland.


And no, enemy didn't stop fighting after 4 days because we did to them something Russians couldn't do to Ukraine. Come back to reality. They agreed to ceasefire because they haven't lost anything that they cannot afford, nor did we tried to impose upon them conditions they can't accept. Ukrain isn't accepting ceasefire because Russia is demanding from them something they are not willing to give up, like vast amount of land and its political independance.
 
Volcano said:
That is complete BS. To begin with, fiber optic FPVs works better under challenging conditions such as thick vegetation than any other type of drones. There are footages of Russian FPV drones flying kms through thick forests hunting for enemy positions. Even if that's true, much of Indian borders with the enemy isn't thick vegetation, its farmlands, deserts and high altitude deserts.
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How many mountains have ukraine got? or the vegetation part, even that is different to what faced in Himalayas to jungles.
Yes this is one major factor when you are trying to establish a products core spec & pro cons of use.
We use wire guided atgms across flat plains desert landscapes. But that is not the sole criteria when atgms are inducted. Various terrains mean various versions , customsations will be implemented. Hence it is not universal config, it is one of the config that can be used across the board but not the only config that will be inducted. Since in house development has begun, we will see so many terrain specific application both in fpv , drone dropped munition as well as drone based pgm systems.
Volcano said:
And what exactly is Indian state is going to do even if they use CBRN agent against infantry? At best we will also use it or b!tch about it to a world that will give lip service. We are talking about a country that didn't do anything after enemy sent thousands of terrorist all throught 90s to kill tens of thousands of our people or when it financed and conducted Multiple teror attacks throughout our hinterland.
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Would have explained a lot but clearly you are way too immature mentally to understate a serious threat like that, so maybe when you are capable of understanding I will explain.
 
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marich01 said:
How many mountains have ukraine got? or the vegetation part, even that is different to what faced in Himalayas to jungles.
Yes this is one major factor when you are trying to establish a products core spec & pro cons of use.
We use wire guided atgms across flat plains desert landscapes. But that is not the sole criteria when atgms are inducted. Various terrains mean various versions , customsations will be implemented. Hence it is not universal config, it is one of the config that can be used across the board but not the only config that will be inducted. Since in house development has begun, we will see so many terrain specific application both in fpv , drone dropped munition as well as drone based pgm systems.
Click to expand...

If you observe the use of FPV drones in Russo Ukraine war, you will realise that the Primary application of FPV drones are taking out enemy Armour and supply vehicles and implementing upto 20 km elastic defence zones at depth. No one is driving Armour or supply vehicles through any deep forests, anywhere there is a motorable road, a wire guided FPV can operate, more effectively than any weapon system to date. And no, it's comical to compare issue of wire guided atgm with very limited Maneuverability in 2 planes with wire guided FPV drones that are highly maneuverable. A wire guided FPV drone can practically fly around a tree or fly along a curvy road for kms hunting for targets. A wireguided atgm is practically high speed rocket with very limited Maneuverability. There is a reason why serious nations are going all in on drones and FPV drones. US military will acquire a million drones in 2 years and half a million to million each every year going forward.


PLA meanwhile planning to Induct 600,000 drones by 2026 & probably millions going forward. They surely have the Industrial capacity do it with ease.

Meanwhile we are here talking in hundreds and thousands range. The latest order for FPVs were just 1,000.

marich01 said:
Would have explained a lot but clearly you are way too immature mentally to understate a serious threat like that, so maybe when you are capable of understanding I will explain.
Click to expand...

It's not immaturity, it's not being a fanboy.

our response to such petulant event that you cite (like something revolutionary in warfare, which it is not that much, its more of a cowardice tactic) would be so severe for the enemy that they will think twice, thrice multiple times before even employing such tactics again. Response is the key element why Pak had to stop within 4 days and Rus-Ukr ongoing for more than 4 years. Everybody is a boss, until the real boss walks in is apt in war
Click to expand...


Brother, come down to the earth and stop being a fanboy. You are too delusional to understand why Russo Ukraine war hasn't ended in 3 years while Indo Pak hostility ended in 4 days. It's not because mighty Indian republic imposed on Pakistan some defeat that Russia is unable to deliver to Ukraine. It's because Russia is practically demanding complete political capitulation of it's enemy and 25% of its land while we demanded absolutely nothing. Let's see if the war will end in 4 days if we demands land or political capitulation from Pakistan. Russo Ukraine war would have ended in 4 days as well if Russian didn't demand anything from Ukraine and called it a day after firing some missiles at Ukranian airbases. Don't let propaganda delude you.


And no, even if they use CBRN weapons against our infantry, we ain't going to conquer Islamabad( or doing anything ground breaking) with 2500 odd T-72s and 1200 T-90s ( both are tin cans in modern battle field). Pakistan for all practical purpose achieved near pear parity with Indian military ( mostly due to Indian incompetency) . The current military capability of Indian Military forces isn't enough to impose it's will on Pakistan through force of arms. Chest thumbing without backing of strength is just delusion.
 
Volcano said:
If you observe the use of FPV drones in Russo Ukraine war, you will realise that the Primary application of FPV drones are taking out enemy Armour and supply vehicles and implementing upto 20 km elastic defence zones at depth. No one is driving Armour or supply vehicles through any deep forests, anywhere there is a motorable road, a wire guided FPV can operate, more effectively than any weapon system to date. And no, it's comical to compare issue of wire guided atgm with very limited Maneuverability in 2 planes with wire guided FPV drones that are highly maneuverable. A wire guided FPV drone can practically fly around a tree or fly along a curvy road for kms hunting for targets. A wireguided atgm is practically high speed rocket with very limited Maneuverability. There is a reason why serious nations are going all in on drones and FPV drones. US military will acquire a million drones in 2 years and half a million to million each every year going forward.


PLA meanwhile planning to Induct 600,000 drones by 2026 & probably millions going forward. They surely have the Industrial capacity do it with ease.

Meanwhile we are here talking in hundreds and thousands range. The latest order for FPVs were just 1,000.



It's not immaturity, it's not being a fanboy.




Brother, come down to the earth and stop being a fanboy. You are too delusional to understand why Russo Ukraine war hasn't ended in 3 years while Indo Pak hostility ended in 4 days. It's not because mighty Indian republic imposed on Pakistan some defeat that Russia is unable to deliver to Ukraine. It's because Russia is practically demanding complete political capitulation of it's enemy and 25% of its land while we demanded absolutely nothing. Let's see if the war will end in 4 days if we demands land or political capitulation from Pakistan. Russo Ukraine war would have ended in 4 days as well if Russian didn't demand anything from Ukraine and called it a day after firing some missiles at Ukranian airbases. Don't let propaganda delude you.


And no, even if they use CBRN weapons against our infantry, we ain't going to conquer Islamabad( or doing anything ground breaking) with 2500 odd T-72s and 1200 T-90s ( both are tin cans in modern battle field). Pakistan for all practical purpose achieved near pear parity with Indian military ( mostly due to Indian incompetency) . The current military capability of Indian Military forces isn't enough to impose it's will on Pakistan through force of arms. Chest thumbing without backing of strength is just delusion.
Click to expand...
Imagine for a moment, if you're capable of that, the Indian Navy decides to conduct a total blockade of Pakistan. Now the Indian carrier fleet is 500 km away from the coast of Pakistan but due to the range of the Brahmos missiles and its air wing, this is more than enough to blockade Pakistan and stop any ship going to its ports. Now, in what universe can your beloved FPV drones pose any modicum of threat to this carrier fleet? Perhaps in your mind, 500 km FPV drones guided by wires exist? Or maybe Pakistan will summon the magical donkey of Prophet Muhammed to carry the drones? Excuse me, but your idea of Pakistan doing to the Indian Naval fleet what Ukraine did to the Black Fleet is, to put it mildly, absolutely retarded. Sea drones even of the type Ukraine is building can scarcely threaten a fleet with advanced AD not to mention naval jets flying at high altitude capable of detecting sea targets from long ranges.

Even outside of this, you're comparing Russia attacking some rump state to India attacking a nuclear power armed by 2 superpowers. Even then, India achieved SEAD, DEAD, precision strikes, and has the capability to threaten Islamabad if need be. In what magical world can a country at war sustain without oil and in what medium else can Pakistan get it but the sea, where they stand no chance infront of the Indian Navy? You're saying even a Pak army deprived of oil can stop the Indian advance? Perhaps they can make their planes fly and tanks run with hopes and prayers 😂

You know, you remind me of those armchair experts in I*D*R*W , some of whom suggested to replace our air force even with FPVs. To think that they are some magical weapon which changes everything is colosally stupid. Even for wire guided FPVs, strong EMP, directed energy and EW can thwart them not to mention cheap interceptors like Bhargavastra. Each Bhargavastra truck has 64 missiles, merely 15 trucks means almost thousands of interceptor, so even against a swarm of drones, a defence is achieved.

The geography and nature of Pakistan is totally different, and to suggest they have achieved parity with India by totally ignoring the naval domain is another level of idiocy. In the field of FPVs even, India remains far and ahead of Pakistan which hasn't even put cope cages on their tanks. Any assault by the Indian Army with its drones, and the Porks are cooked on the ground. And in the sea, well LOL. Maybe a genius like you can invent a 10000 km FPV drone guided by wires which can go underwater also, then perhaps the Indian fleet will be threatened 😂
 
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RationalGuy said:
Imagine for a moment, if you're capable of that, the Indian Navy decides to conduct a total blockade of Pakistan. Now the Indian carrier fleet is 500 km away from the coast of Pakistan but due to the range of the Brahmos missiles and its air wing, this is more than enough to blockade Pakistan and stop any ship going to its ports. Now, in what universe can your beloved FPV drones pose any modicum of threat to this carrier fleet? Perhaps in your mind, 500 km FPV drones guided by wires exist? Or maybe Pakistan will summon the magical donkey of Prophet Muhammed to carry the drones? Excuse me, but your idea of Pakistan doing to the Indian Naval fleet what Ukraine did to the Black Fleet is, to put it mildly, absolutely retarded. Sea drones even of the type Ukraine is building can scarcely threaten a fleet with advanced AD not to mention naval jets flying at high altitude capable of detecting sea targets from long ranges.

Even outside of this, you're comparing Russia attacking some rump state to India attacking a nuclear power armed by 2 superpowers. Even then, India achieved SEAD, DEAD, precision strikes, and has the capability to threaten Islamabad if need be. In what magical world can a country at war sustain without oil and in what medium else can Pakistan get it but the sea, where they stand no chance infront of the Indian Navy? You're saying even a Pak army deprived of oil can stop the Indian advance? Perhaps they can make their planes fly and tanks run with hopes and prayers 😂

You know, you remind me of those armchair experts in I*D*R*W , some of whom suggested to replace our air force even with FPVs. To think that they are some magical weapon which changes everything is colosally stupid. Even for wire guided FPVs, strong EMP, directed energy and EW can thwart them not to mention cheap interceptors like Bhargavastra. Each Bhargavastra truck has 64 missiles, merely 15 trucks means almost thousands of interceptor, so even against a swarm of drones, a defence is achieved.

The geography and nature of Pakistan is totally different, and to suggest they have achieved parity with India by totally ignoring the naval domain is another level of idiocy. In the field of FPVs even, India remains far and ahead of Pakistan which hasn't even put cope cages on their tanks. Any assault by the Indian Army with its drones, and the Porks are cooked on the ground. And in the sereatened 😂
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true all that but at the end of the day we need to be competing with china not pakistan. While against china we do have the advantage of having the himalayas which not very favorable to drone launching its still something that needs to be addressed. Are we addressing it? yes. but is it enough ? no.

We need to do more and things are going in the right direction buts its going to take a LOT of time to have enough drones to protect ourselves let alone stage counterattacks.
 
lmaoxd said:
true all that but at the end of the day we need to be competing with china not pakistan. While against china we do have the advantage of having the himalayas which not very favorable to drone launching its still something that needs to be addressed. Are we addressing it? yes. but is it enough ? no.

We need to do more and things are going in the right direction buts its going to take a LOT of time to have enough drones to protect ourselves let alone stage counterattacks.
Click to expand...
In all domains we are way behind China and will be so until our economy attains a maturity which would allow tremendous investments in enhancing our capability in those domains. This will take no less than 10 years. Until then, we must try and avoid a war with China at all costs. The Chinese didn't make a move on Taiwan for a very long time after US showed them where they stand in 1996 Taiwan Strait Crisis. Similarly, we must avoid a direct confrontation while stopping salami slicing.
 
After Op Sindoor, India goes in for more Heron Mk IIs; Israel frontrunner for mega MALE drones deal

Order for 87 MALE drones will be split between 2 Indian firms in 64:36 ratio to ensure there are 2 independent manufacturing lines with at least 60% indigenous components.

Tel Aviv: Indian armed forces have signed up for additional satellite-linked Heron Mk II drones under emergency procurement following the successful use of these unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) during Operation Sindoor.

Sources in the Israeli defence industry said that while earlier the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force used the Mk II drones, which were bought following the rise in tensions with China along the Ladakh border, the Navy has also bought them now.

“Following Op Sindoor, all the three services have gone in for Heron Mk II under emergency procurement,” a source said, without going into specifics like numbers.
Under emergency procurement, the Service Headquarters can sign contracts for equipment worth up to Rs 300 crore directly, rather than going in for the long and convoluted regular procurement process.

Heron Mk II drones have an endurance of 45 hours and can fly over 1,000 kms without refuelling. The Herons and other classes of drones were used extensively during Operation Sindoor to not only document the strikes on 7 May, but also subsequently during the operation.

On 7 May, an Indian operated drone had managed to fly into Pakistani airspace and capture the missile strikes on nine terror centres including in their Punjab province.

India started using drones from the late 90s, with the IAF inducting the Searcher UAVs from State-run Israel Aerospace Industry (IAI). Incidentally, IAI was the first in the world to manufacture drones and had developed ‘Scout’ in the late 1970s, following their experience in the 1973 war with Arab nations where a need for real-time intelligence was felt.

Israel frontrunner for MALE programme​

Aside from the emergency procurement of Heron Mk II drones, the Indian armed forces have also issued a tender for 87 other Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAVs under what is estimated to be over Rs 20,000-crore project under Make in India.

This is a tri-service project with the IAF in the lead. The Request for Proposal (RFP) has gone to multiple Indian companies. These Indian firms have the option of tying up with a foreign firm or offering their own products. In total, about 24 Indian companies have shown their interest.

The order will be split between two Indian companies in a 64:36 ratio to ensure that there are two independent manufacturing lines in India, with at least 60 percent indigenous components.

Sources explained that when it comes to foreign drones under the Make in India route, Israeli firms are frontrunners.

For example, the RFP for the 87 MALE UAVs has been received by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and ELCOM, which have tied up with Israel’s IAI; by Adani Aerospace and Defence, which has partnered with another Israeli firm, Elbit; and by Larsen & Toubro, which has teamed up with the US company General Atomics (GA).

The frontrunners among foreign OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) for the MALE contract are IAI with its Heron Mk II, Elbit with its Hermes, and General Atomics with its Grey Eagle.

In October last year, India signed a contract for 31 High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) category drones from GA.
 
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Ashwin said:
After Op Sindoor, India goes in for more Heron Mk IIs; Israel frontrunner for mega MALE drones deal

Order for 87 MALE drones will be split between 2 Indian firms in 64:36 ratio to ensure there are 2 independent manufacturing lines with at least 60% indigenous components.

Tel Aviv: Indian armed forces have signed up for additional satellite-linked Heron Mk II drones under emergency procurement following the successful use of these unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) during Operation Sindoor.

Sources in the Israeli defence industry said that while earlier the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force used the Mk II drones, which were bought following the rise in tensions with China along the Ladakh border, the Navy has also bought them now.

“Following Op Sindoor, all the three services have gone in for Heron Mk II under emergency procurement,” a source said, without going into specifics like numbers.
Under emergency procurement, the Service Headquarters can sign contracts for equipment worth up to Rs 300 crore directly, rather than going in for the long and convoluted regular procurement process.

Heron Mk II drones have an endurance of 45 hours and can fly over 1,000 kms without refuelling. The Herons and other classes of drones were used extensively during Operation Sindoor to not only document the strikes on 7 May, but also subsequently during the operation.

On 7 May, an Indian operated drone had managed to fly into Pakistani airspace and capture the missile strikes on nine terror centres including in their Punjab province.

India started using drones from the late 90s, with the IAF inducting the Searcher UAVs from State-run Israel Aerospace Industry (IAI). Incidentally, IAI was the first in the world to manufacture drones and had developed ‘Scout’ in the late 1970s, following their experience in the 1973 war with Arab nations where a need for real-time intelligence was felt.

Israel frontrunner for MALE programme​

Aside from the emergency procurement of Heron Mk II drones, the Indian armed forces have also issued a tender for 87 other Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAVs under what is estimated to be over Rs 20,000-crore project under Make in India.

This is a tri-service project with the IAF in the lead. The Request for Proposal (RFP) has gone to multiple Indian companies. These Indian firms have the option of tying up with a foreign firm or offering their own products. In total, about 24 Indian companies have shown their interest.

The order will be split between two Indian companies in a 64:36 ratio to ensure that there are two independent manufacturing lines in India, with at least 60 percent indigenous components.

Sources explained that when it comes to foreign drones under the Make in India route, Israeli firms are frontrunners.

For example, the RFP for the 87 MALE UAVs has been received by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and ELCOM, which have tied up with Israel’s IAI; by Adani Aerospace and Defence, which has partnered with another Israeli firm, Elbit; and by Larsen & Toubro, which has teamed up with the US company General Atomics (GA).

The frontrunners among foreign OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) for the MALE contract are IAI with its Heron Mk II, Elbit with its Hermes, and General Atomics with its Grey Eagle.

In October last year, India signed a contract for 31 High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) category drones from GA.
Click to expand...

Personally also the feedback I had, was that between Hermes 900 and Heron Mk2, Heron Mk2 has been better.
 
Ashwin said:
After Op Sindoor, India goes in for more Heron Mk IIs; Israel frontrunner for mega MALE drones deal

Order for 87 MALE drones will be split between 2 Indian firms in 64:36 ratio to ensure there are 2 independent manufacturing lines with at least 60% indigenous components.

Tel Aviv: Indian armed forces have signed up for additional satellite-linked Heron Mk II drones under emergency procurement following the successful use of these unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) during Operation Sindoor.

Sources in the Israeli defence industry said that while earlier the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force used the Mk II drones, which were bought following the rise in tensions with China along the Ladakh border, the Navy has also bought them now.

“Following Op Sindoor, all the three services have gone in for Heron Mk II under emergency procurement,” a source said, without going into specifics like numbers.
Under emergency procurement, the Service Headquarters can sign contracts for equipment worth up to Rs 300 crore directly, rather than going in for the long and convoluted regular procurement process.

Heron Mk II drones have an endurance of 45 hours and can fly over 1,000 kms without refuelling. The Herons and other classes of drones were used extensively during Operation Sindoor to not only document the strikes on 7 May, but also subsequently during the operation.

On 7 May, an Indian operated drone had managed to fly into Pakistani airspace and capture the missile strikes on nine terror centres including in their Punjab province.

India started using drones from the late 90s, with the IAF inducting the Searcher UAVs from State-run Israel Aerospace Industry (IAI). Incidentally, IAI was the first in the world to manufacture drones and had developed ‘Scout’ in the late 1970s, following their experience in the 1973 war with Arab nations where a need for real-time intelligence was felt.

Israel frontrunner for MALE programme​

Aside from the emergency procurement of Heron Mk II drones, the Indian armed forces have also issued a tender for 87 other Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAVs under what is estimated to be over Rs 20,000-crore project under Make in India.

This is a tri-service project with the IAF in the lead. The Request for Proposal (RFP) has gone to multiple Indian companies. These Indian firms have the option of tying up with a foreign firm or offering their own products. In total, about 24 Indian companies have shown their interest.

The order will be split between two Indian companies in a 64:36 ratio to ensure that there are two independent manufacturing lines in India, with at least 60 percent indigenous components.

Sources explained that when it comes to foreign drones under the Make in India route, Israeli firms are frontrunners.

For example, the RFP for the 87 MALE UAVs has been received by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and ELCOM, which have tied up with Israel’s IAI; by Adani Aerospace and Defence, which has partnered with another Israeli firm, Elbit; and by Larsen & Toubro, which has teamed up with the US company General Atomics (GA).

The frontrunners among foreign OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) for the MALE contract are IAI with its Heron Mk II, Elbit with its Hermes, and General Atomics with its Grey Eagle.

In October last year, India signed a contract for 31 High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) category drones from GA.
Click to expand...

Final nail in the coffin for Indian drone programs.

For the next 30yrs, witness Turkish drone superiority as Adani skims off the top from IAI screwdrivergiri, while Indian drone programs get starved.

Hope fate proves me wrong.
 
jmaxwell_ said:
Final nail in the coffin for Indian drone programs.

For the next 30yrs, witness Turkish drone superiority as Adani skims off the top from IAI screwdrivergiri, while Indian drone programs get starved.

Hope fate proves me wrong.
Click to expand...
There is no available Indian drone as of now that fulfills the criteria of 87 MALE Drone procurement.

DRDO haven't developed it yet. And neither of the kirana industrialist have invested in development of one. All are doing "partnership" with established international manufacturer to BTP/Assemble in India. Just like Adani is doing with IAI.
So, considering that Indian drone programmes aren't even alive, the nail on coffin is is invalid.

I am not defending the kirana industry neither the babu infiltrated DRDO. But putting things into perspective for the aforementioned procurement.

If DRDO does develop one successfully in the needed time, I believe our PSUs ( who haven't MOUed for MALE/HALE drones) have enough lobbying power to have it fly for the forces. It's a turbulent time in a turbulent world. DPSUs and future indian weapons manufacturer should know that it also means the best time to earn dough. 87 is just a mild number. We will need multiple times that to really give our armed forces the necessary tools for ample , constant coverage of our vast borders.
 
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Subgradewalker said:
There is no available Indian drone as of now that fulfills the criteria of 87 MALE Drone procurement.

DRDO haven't developed it yet. And neither of the kirana industrialist have invested in development of one. All are doing "partnership" with established international manufacturer to BTP/Assemble in India. Just like Adani is doing with IAI.
So, considering that Indian drone programmes aren't even alive, the nail on coffin is is invalid.

I am not defending the kirana industry neither the babu infiltrated DRDO. But putting things into perspective for the aforementioned procurement.

If DRDO does develop one successfully in the needed time, I believe our PSUs ( who haven't MOUed for MALE/HALE drones) have enough lobbying power to have it fly for the forces. It's a turbulent time in a turbulent world. DPSUs and future indian weapons manufacturer should know that it also means the best time to earn dough. 87 is just a mild number. We will need multiple times that to really give our armed forces the necessary tools for ample , constant coverage of our vast borders.
Click to expand...
Isn't Solar is working on an in-house MALE drone project of their own?
timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Solar gets 223acre in Mihan for MALE drone project, to invest Rs 12,800cr & give 6,800 jobs | Nagpur News - The Times of India

Nagpur: Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) handed over a letter of provisional allotment to Solar Defence and Aerospace Limited (SDAL) for.
timesofindia.indiatimes.com timesofindia.indiatimes.com
 
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jmaxwell_ said:
Final nail in the coffin for Indian drone programs.

For the next 30yrs, witness Turkish drone superiority as Adani skims off the top from IAI screwdrivergiri, while Indian drone programs get starved.

Hope fate proves me wrong.
Click to expand...
I think you are dooming too much brother. Drone programmes are not going into the coffin for 30 years. It's a temporary setback for sure. I'm not gonna defend our babus, PSUs and dhandos..they are very much responsible for this.

Remember technology development takes time. PSUs and private players (either via DcPP with DRDO or in-house development) would eventually develop their own solution in next 5-10 years. And they have enough lobby to make armed forces induct those. 87 drones are not enough for our future requirements. You can consider this as just stopgap..
 
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Also jmax, the drones are only going to increase. As tech improves, economy improves , we are gonna see drones of all sorts with low to very high endurance.

With work ongoing for Integration of AAD, BMD etc for Sudarshan Chakra, several AI brains ( parent+child) will be developed. Some of which, ideally be tasked to maintain Integrated Grid which maintains patrol, intercept and prevent infiltration via constant presence of drones in the Air.

Sort of what we saw in sci-fi only till now. But, it should be inevitable and any sensible brain in MoD should push for such integrated project. So, we haven't seen anything when it comes to utilisation of drones by armed forces yet. Let alone civilian defense forces and probably special cells of police forces. So.. an innovator, businessman have a lot..lot of scope. Let alone 87, even 870 won't come close to capturing drone market of major economies, not just India.
 
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Indian Army to buy 850 Kamikaze drones worth Rs 2000 crore

By Ajit Dubey
Updated: Dec 19, 2025, 20:28 IST
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New Delhi [India], December 19 (ANI): As part of lessons learnt from Operation Sindoor, the Indian Army is all set to buy 850 kamikaze drones, which will be used to equip all three defence forces and the special forces.

The Indian Army proposal is at an advanced stage of acquisition. It is likely to be cleared soon by a high-level meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council scheduled to be held in the last week of this month, Defence sources informed ANI.

As per the proposal to be implemented under the fast-track procedures by the force, the Army will get around 850 loitering munitions along with launchers from indigenous sources, they said.

The Indian Army uses a large number of loitering munitions acquired from different sources and is now looking to induct around 30,000 of them in the near future to equip all its fighting forces, they said.

The Army infantry battalions will now have one Ashni platoon each, which will be responsible for operating drones to be used against enemy locations and also in counterinsurgency roles, they said.

The Indian Army heavily utilized drones to target terror headquarters inside Pakistan during Operation Sidoor. India took out seven of the nine terrorist targets on the first day of the operation, which was conducted in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed.

Later on, the drones were also used against the Pakistan Army, which came out strongly to defend the terrorists backed by it.

The number of casualties in Army strikes was very high and caused heavy damage to the enemy infrastructure on the borders, they said. (ANI)

https://aninews.in/news/national/ge...aze-drones-worth-rs-2000-crore20251219202824/
 
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