New Delhi: Dhaksha Unmanned Systems Private Limited, a subsidiary of Coromandel International Limited, on August 25 inaugurated its new manufacturing facility at Aymicheri region in Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu.
The facility was inaugurated by Arun Alagappan, Executive Chairman, Coromandel International Limited, marking an important step in strengthening India’s indigenous drone manufacturing capabilities in agriculture, defence and enterprise. The facility will support the development and execution of larger and complex programmes across its key UAV verticals, while enabling greater indigenisation of critical technologies and strengthening its ability to serve evolving customer requirements.
During the event, Dhaksha announced the launch of two new agricultural drone models, the DH Agrigator E10 Prime and DH Agrigator E10 Eco. Developed with indigenous components, the E10 Prime aligns with the Namo Drone Didi programme and supports India’s growing domestic drone ecosystem, while the E10 Eco offers an affordable solution designed to expand access to drone-based farming services for small and marginal farmers and rural entrepreneurs.
Beyond agriculture, the facility will also support Dhaksha’s growing defence portfolio, including surveillance and logistics applications. A dedicated production line for defence applications will strengthen the company’s execution capabilities, along with supporting its indigenisation efforts at building greater control over critical technologies.
Dhaksha is also expanding its sourcing and service ecosystem, including its network of service centres, to support its growing operations. The facility will act as a platform for collaboration across the drone value chain, enabling technology partners to combine complementary capabilities and accelerate the development of an integrated drone manufacturing ecosystem under one roof.
Speaking on the occasion, S Sankarasubramanian, Director, Dhaksha Unmanned Systems Private Limited, and Managing Director and CEO, Coromandel International Limited, said, “India’s journey towards a more productive, resilient and technology-enabled economy will be shaped by our ability to harness advanced technologies across sectors. At Dhaksha, we see UAVs as an important enabler of this transformation, with significant potential across agriculture, defence and enterprise applications.”
“The new facility will integrate our R&D and operational capabilities, enabling greater collaboration and agility. It reflects our confidence in the long-term potential of the rapidly evolving UAV sector and our commitment to building indigenous drone solutions for the nation. In agriculture, we are witnessing strong interest in drones from the farming community, and our product development efforts are increasingly being shaped by field-level feedback to deliver practical solutions. In defence, we are focused on advancing indigenisation and building technology partnerships across the ecosystem,” he added.
Concluding his remark, S Sankarasubramanian stated that the expansion marks an important step in strengthening India’s position in this emerging sector, advancing our commitment to Aatmanirbhar Bharat and enhancing our ability to develop and deliver indigenous solutions.
Dhaksha Unmanned Systems Private Limited is a technology-driven unmanned aerial systems (UAS) company focused on developing and delivering innovative drone solutions for diverse applications. With its roots in Anna University-MIT’s Centre for Aerospace Research (CASR), Dhaksha has been engaged in drone technology and government projects since 2001 and became an independent private limited company in 2019. The company has a strategic technology partnership with Anna University for research and development, manufacturing and marketing of drones.
Dhaksha offers end-to-end UAS/UAV solutions spanning research and development, design, manufacturing and integration, testing and quality assurance, training and certification, turnkey solutions and after-market operational support. The company has developed capabilities across agricultural and other specialised drone applications and holds DGCA Type Certifications for multiple drone platforms. In July 2023, Coromandel International Limited acquired a major stake in Dhaksha, strengthening its capabilities and enabling the company to scale its technology and manufacturing footprint.
Coromandel International Limited is amongst India’s pioneers and leading Agri solutions provider, offering diverse products and services across the farming value chain. It operates in two major segments: Nutrient and other allied businesses and Crop Protection. These include Fertilisers, Crop Protection, Bio Products, Specialty Nutrients and Organic businesses.
The Company is 2nd largest manufacturer and marketer of Phosphatic fertilizer in India. The Company’s Crop Protection products are marketed in India as well as in international geographies, offering wide range of technical and formulation products. The Specialty Nutrients business of the Company focuses on water soluble fertilisers, secondary & micronutrients and Nano fertiliser products.
The Company is leading marketer of Organic Fertilisers in India. The Bio Products business of the company focusses on plant extractions for various applications. It also operates a network of more than 1200 rural retail outlets across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
Through these Retail outlets, the Company offers agri inputs and farming services including crop advisory, soil testing and farm mechanisation to around 3 million farmers. The Company currently has 8 R&D centres and a strong Regulatory setup, supporting the businesses in process development and new product introduction. The Company currently has 21 manufacturing facilities, spread widely across India, producing wide range of Nutrient and Crop Protection products, which are marketed through an extensive network of dealers and its own retail centres.
The Company clocked a turnover of Rs 31,827 crores during FY 25-26. Its efforts towards environment have been well recognised by international organisations like UNDP and has also been voted as one of the ten greenest companies in India by TERI. Coromandel is a part of the Murugappa Group with a turnover of Rs 90,178 crore in FY 24-25.
