JSW setting up $90 million military drone plant in Hyderabad
V-BAT drone manufacturing at the facility of JSW Defence is expected to commence by last quarter of 2026, said the Group
The $23 billion JSW Group is setting up an unmanned aerial systems manufacturing facility with $90 million (about Rs. 850 crore) investment at Maheshwaram electronics manufacturing cluster, on the outskirts of Hyderabad.
It has entered into a strategic partnership with US-based defence technology firm Shield AI to manufacture the latter’s Group 3 unmanned aerial system (UAS) – under a long-term licensing arrangement for transfer of technology. A fixed-wing, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL), long endurance intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR) platform, V-BAT is currently deployed by multiple armed forces globally, including the U.S. Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs).
The manufacturing, at the facility of JSW Defence, is expected to commence by last quarter of 2026, JSW Group said after the foundation stone laying ceremony in which IT and Industries Minister D. Sridhar Babu, JSW Group’s Parth Jindal and others participated.
The investment will enable JSW to establish a local supply chain and create an advanced facility in India for manufacturing, assembling and testing V-BAT. The effort will enable large-scale production of V-BATs in India to serve the needs of the Indian Armed Forces and also function as a global production hub, the Group said.
JSW Group’s Parth Jindal and Sarjan Shah, managing director, Shield AI at the foundation stone laying of JSW defence facility in Hyderabad | Photo Credit: BY ARRANGEMENT
“From manufacturing the globally renowned V-BAT at scale, the facility will lay the foundation for an integrated, end-to-end UAS ecosystem, from advanced manufacturing to operator training, manufacturing repair and operations (MRO) and sustained innovation. This project stands among the most significant defence technology transfers to India,” Mr. Jindal said.
On the Group’s defence ventures, he said the drone manufacturing project follows the JSW Gecko Motors joint venture, with a Ukrainian company, to make special mobility vehicles in Chandigarh. The facility was commissioned about 18 months ago and supplied nearly 200 vehicles between the Indian Army and the United Nations. In the same facility, JSW has another JV with an American firm to manufacture off-road vehicles.
V-BAT drone manufacturing at the facility of JSW Defence is expected to commence by last quarter of 2026, said the Group
The $23 billion JSW Group is setting up an unmanned aerial systems manufacturing facility with $90 million (about Rs. 850 crore) investment at Maheshwaram electronics manufacturing cluster, on the outskirts of Hyderabad.
It has entered into a strategic partnership with US-based defence technology firm Shield AI to manufacture the latter’s Group 3 unmanned aerial system (UAS) – under a long-term licensing arrangement for transfer of technology. A fixed-wing, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL), long endurance intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR) platform, V-BAT is currently deployed by multiple armed forces globally, including the U.S. Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs).
The manufacturing, at the facility of JSW Defence, is expected to commence by last quarter of 2026, JSW Group said after the foundation stone laying ceremony in which IT and Industries Minister D. Sridhar Babu, JSW Group’s Parth Jindal and others participated.
The investment will enable JSW to establish a local supply chain and create an advanced facility in India for manufacturing, assembling and testing V-BAT. The effort will enable large-scale production of V-BATs in India to serve the needs of the Indian Armed Forces and also function as a global production hub, the Group said.
Project will create over 300 high-value jobs
The facility is spread over 16 acres and will have a capacity to manufacture 300 V-BAT drones annually. It will house production, repair, testing, administrative, and support infrastructure. This project will create over 300 high-value jobs, the Minister’s office said.
JSW Group’s Parth Jindal and Sarjan Shah, managing director, Shield AI at the foundation stone laying of JSW defence facility in Hyderabad | Photo Credit: BY ARRANGEMENT
“From manufacturing the globally renowned V-BAT at scale, the facility will lay the foundation for an integrated, end-to-end UAS ecosystem, from advanced manufacturing to operator training, manufacturing repair and operations (MRO) and sustained innovation. This project stands among the most significant defence technology transfers to India,” Mr. Jindal said.
On the Group’s defence ventures, he said the drone manufacturing project follows the JSW Gecko Motors joint venture, with a Ukrainian company, to make special mobility vehicles in Chandigarh. The facility was commissioned about 18 months ago and supplied nearly 200 vehicles between the Indian Army and the United Nations. In the same facility, JSW has another JV with an American firm to manufacture off-road vehicles.
