New Delhi: Flying Wedge Defence and Aerospace (FWDA), a Bangalore-based defence technology and AI warfare company, has announced a major investment of Rs 1,169 crore to establish India’s first full-spectrum Autonomous Combat Aircraft Manufacturing and Testing Facility in Andhra Pradesh.
The landmark initiative follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Andhra Pradesh, marking a critical milestone in India’s quest for self-reliance in advanced defence technology under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat mission. The agreement was formalised in the presence of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, senior state officials, and FWDA leadership.
The upcoming facility will be built over 500 acres and will house advanced infrastructure for research and development, design, assembly, testing, and systems integration of autonomous combat aircraft. It is projected to create over 1,000 employment opportunities, including 800 direct and 200 indirect jobs, spanning high-skilled areas such as AI-driven aerospace R&D, manufacturing, and systems engineering.
Andhra Pradesh is rapidly positioning itself as a strategic hub for next-generation aerospace and defence manufacturing. This MoU further reinforces the state’s growing role in India’s national security architecture, with development corridors being aligned to attract high-technology defence partnerships and innovation-led companies.
Suhas Tejaskanda, Founder and CEO of Flying Wedge Defence and Aerospace, underlined that the project would not only deliver an industrial capability boost but also catalyse the growth of a local ecosystem of skilled professionals, component suppliers, and academic institutions. He remarked that the collaboration with the state government represents a significant stride towards positioning India as a leader in autonomous warfare systems and AI integration in defence.
The proposed facility will serve as a focal point for innovations in AI-led combat aircraft systems, swarm intelligence-based operations, and advanced UAV and UCAV platforms. It will serve both as a production centre and a testbed for deep learning-based autonomous mission control systems, enhancing India’s indigenous research capacity in next-generation aerial combat.
Since its establishment in 2022, Flying Wedge Defence and Aerospace has rapidly risen as a pioneering Indian player in AI warfare systems and autonomous aerospace technologies. The company became the first Indian private entity to obtain DGCA type certification for an indigenous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
In September 2024, FWDA marked a historic achievement when its unmanned bomber aircraft, the FWD-200B, successfully completed its maiden flight. The landmark event highlighted India’s growing capacity in developing indigenous combat UAV platforms comparable to global systems in terms of autonomy, endurance, and precision. Continuing its trajectory, FWDA unveiled Kaal Bhairava, E2A2 in August 2025—India’s first indigenous AI-powered unmanned aircraft, globally recognised for its innovation and awarded a silver medal at ARCA 2025 in Croatia. The E2A2 platform represents the country’s leap into time-sensitive autonomous combat missions, fusing AI algorithms with adaptive aerospace frameworks for real-time decision-making.
Beyond its core defence operations, FWDA has also ventured into dual-use innovation through AI- and ML-driven aerial systems for agriculture and remote analytics. Its patented drone technologies deliver real-time data for precision farming, surveillance, and logistics, underlining its broader commitment to scalable, multi-domain UAV applications. With a diversified portfolio spanning autonomous strike systems, intelligence-gathering drones, and AI-embedded combat platforms, Flying Wedge Defence envisions positioning India not merely as a defence importer but as a global innovation hub for autonomous warfare technologies.
This investment stands as a testament to India’s fast-evolving defence industrial base. It embodies the government’s policy shift toward deeper private-sector participation and marks a decisive move from policy formulation to tangible, technology-led capability building on the ground.
