Army orders Nishant UAVs, foreign collaboration for UAV project on offer

New Delhi: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) developed unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) Nishant is currently under limited series production, with the Indian Army placing orders for 12 such systems, along with ground support systems. The DRDO is also developing a medium altitude long endurance (MALE) UAV and has the option to tap foreign collaborators for the project for key technologies if it so wants, according to a written reply provided by Indian defence minister AK Antony in the Lok Sabha.

The MALE UAV, now under development, would seek to meet the joint requirement of all the three services of the armed forces, Antony said.

According to Antony, European and Israeli companies have suo motu approached DRDO for undertaking a joint development programme on the MALE UAV and have also made preliminary presentations to demonstrate their capabilities. The DRDO may consider limited consultancy or joint development of certain key technologies with foreign partners. Currently, it is working only with Indian partners.

This information was provided by defence minister, AK Antony, in a written reply to a member of parliament in the Lok Sabha, Asaduddin Owaisi.