There are ten firms vying for the Indian Air Force (IAF) drone project worth over ₹30,000 crore. There are several tenders for an Indian Air Force project worth over ₹30,000 crore involving the purchase of 87 Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicles which is the biggest drone procurement project by the military of India. The bidding has been done by about 10 firms comprising of both private and public sectors of India for the said IAF drone program.
The companies who have participated in the bidding process are Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Tata Advanced Systems, Larsen & Toubro (L&T), Adani Defence & Aerospace, Solar Defence and Aerospace, and Raphe mPhibr. The bidding for the project expired on 16 June following several extensions given to the industry players to submit their bids.
Two production lines for manufacturing scale:
One of the important aspects of the programme is the government’s plan to split the order among the two lowest bidders. The strategy is meant to create two separate production lines, avoid manufacturing bottlenecks and enable fast deliveries, along with establishing manufacturing capabilities.
The drones planned to be procured under this programme are going to be made domestically and will be used to help India develop its capability in the area of critical defence technologies. Industry specialists say that this program may turn into an impetus for investment into development of the areas like avionics, sensors, communication systems, propulsion systems and drone subsystems.
The companies chosen for the programme will be expected to develop manufacturing capacities sufficient to support further growth and exports in the future.
Defense Drone Ecosystem Gains Momentum:
The bidding process comes amidst rising global interest in the use of unmanned aircraft, resulting from the changing battlefield dynamics and the use of unmanned systems in the area of surveillance, reconnaissance, and strikes. In India, the efforts of developing domestic expertise in the area of unmanned systems have been boosted by initiatives from the government, private players, and startups.
Considering the size of the deal, the order is considered to be one of the largest orders of drones to be made by the country. The valuation of the project, as estimated by the industry experts, stands at well above $2 billion, making it an important milestone for the manufacturers of domestic UAVs who wish to establish themselves as industry leaders. The initiative goes beyond being just another acquisition project.
