New Delhi: The infrastructure and defence giant Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and the US-based General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) announced a strategic alliance on 31 October to jointly manufacture Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) in India for the Indian Army.
The partnership combines GA-ASI’s demonstrated operational capabilities in unmanned aerial systems with L&T’s engineering, precision manufacturing, and system integration expertise. The partnership intends to support India’s objective of becoming self-sufficient in cutting-edge aerospace technologies and to fortify the nation’s defence manufacturing sector.
“Under this partnership, L&T will participate in the upcoming 87 MALE RPAS programme of the Ministry of Defence, where L&T will be the prime bidder and GA-ASI the technology partner,” the company said in a regulatory filing to the BSE.
Production of GA-ASI’s MQ-series RPAS, a combat-proven family of unmanned aircraft systems that have amassed millions of flight hours in surveillance and strike missions worldwide, will be made possible by the partnership. It is anticipated that the domestic production of these platforms will improve India’s capacity for aerial surveillance and reconnaissance.
The collaboration advances the government’s goal of developing an independent and internationally competitive aerospace manufacturing base in India and marks a major turning point in Indo-US defence cooperation.
Commenting on the development, S N Subrahmanyan, Chairman and Managing Director of L&T, said, “This partnership offers India a unique opportunity to manufacture state-of-the-art unmanned platforms indigenously. This alliance will significantly enhance India’s defence capabilities and advance self-reliance in aerospace technologies.”
The collaboration is expected to open new avenues for technology transfer, innovation and localised production in India’s growing unmanned aerial systems sector, further positioning the country as a key player in the global defence and aerospace landscape
