Mumbai: Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and the US-headquartered General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) have entered into a strategic partnership to manufacture Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) in India, for the Indian armed forces.
GA-ASI, a global leader in advanced unmanned aerial systems, brings decades of operational expertise; L&T brings extensive engineering, precision manufacturing and system integration capabilities in defence and aerospace.
L&T and GA-ASI together will deliver the combat-proven MALE RPAS platforms, manufactured entirely in India. This programme incorporates critical technology transfers and fulfilling indigenous content requirements aligned with Government of India’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiatives.
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 collaboration will enable the production of GA-ASI’s MQ-series RPAS that are combat proven. These are widely operational across the globe with millions of flight hours in surveillance and strike missions.
The partnership marks a significant milestone in India’s pursuit of a self-reliant defence ecosystem, strengthening Indo-US defence collaboration and fostering a competitive, globally integrated aerospace manufacturing base.
Commenting on the development, S N Subrahmanyan, Chairman & Managing Director, L&T, said, “This partnership offers India a unique opportunity to manufacture state-of-the-art unmanned platforms indigenously. We are proud to join hands with GA-ASI, a recognised world leader in this domain, and are confident that this alliance will significantly enhance India’s defence capabilities and advance self-reliance in aerospace technologies”.
Dr Vivek Lall, Chief Executive, General Atomics Global Corporation, said, “We are honoured to serve the Indian market in partnership with Larsen & Toubro, a trusted and capable leader in India’s defence sector. This collaboration exemplifies our commitment to supporting India’s vision for self-reliance and indigenous manufacturing in aerospace. By combining GA-ASI’s proven technology with L&T’s robust manufacturing expertise, we aim to deliver cutting-edge MALE RPAS solutions that will enhance the operational readiness of the Indian armed forces and contribute to a strong, sustainable defence ecosystem in India”.
