Hyderabad: Indian Navy chief Admiral R. Hari Kumar on Wednesday unveiled the first indigenously-manufactured Drishti 10 ‘Starliner’ unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for his force, manufactured by Adani Defence and Aerospace.
The unveiling ceremony was held at Adani Adani Aerospace Park in Hyderabad.
The state-of-the-art UAV, which has an endurance of 36 hours, is an advanced Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) platform with 450 kg payload capacity.
It is the only all-weather military platform with STANAG 4671 certification, and clear to fly in both segregated and unsegregated airspace.
The Navy chief described it as a milestone event for the Indian Navy and for the quest for ‘Atmanirbhar’ Bharat.
“This is a dream come true for us. This medium-altitude, high-endurance UAV has been manufactured in India with over 60 per cent indigenous content. This demonstrates the capability that has been set up. We are quite confident now that this is only going to strengthen us and provide us with even better capability as the time goes by,” he said.
The Navy chief said this would be a great capacity enhancer for the Navy.
“This has got satellite communication as well because of which we can go further into the Indian Ocean,” he added.
“Adani Group has demonstrated its commitment to unmanned systems having worked systematically over the last many years to develop local capabilities not limited to manufacturing but sustenance through MRO. Drishti 10’s integration into our naval operations will enhance our naval capabilities, strengthening our preparedness for the ever-evolving maritime surveillance and reconnaissance,” Admiral Hari Kumar said.
The UAV will now be taken from Hyderabad to Porbandar to be inducted into naval maritime operations.
Director General of Army Aviation, Lt Gen Ajay Suri, said that the Indian Navy and Indian Army have placed orders for two Drishti-10 drones to address the urgent need for satellite communication-enabled drones.
He emphasised that the Adani Aerospace Park in Hyderabad stands as a state-of-the-art facility, prioritising innovation and indigenisation – a testament to the ingenuity of India.
Adani Enterprises VP Jeet Adani, said: “Recent geopolitical events have reinforced the convergence of physical, informational, and cognitive tactics underpinned by intelligence, information processing capabilities, and the use of unmanned and cyber systems for dissemination of information and disinformation.”
“Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms across land, air and naval borders are a key priority for Adani to serve the armed forces and place India on the global map for exports. We are proud to be able to serve the Indian Navy,” he added.
Adani Defence and Aerospace CEO Ashish Rajvanshi said: “The handover of the Drishti 10 Starliner UAV is a watershed moment in our journey towards self-sufficiency and indigenisation of advanced technologies. Our on-time delivery to the Navy is a testament to our robust quality management processes and excellent support from our partners, who worked diligently over the last 10 months from contract to delivery.”
Telangana’s Industries Minister D. Sridhar Babu stated that Telangana has the most vibrant aerospace ecosystem in the country at present. He congratulated the Adani Defence and Aerospace team for establishing a dynamic ecosystem for unmanned systems.
(IANS)
