The newly acquired drones would be used by special forces for surveillance within a 5-km radius to execute pin-point precision strikes during raids
The tender also noted that the drones would need to have at least 60% indigenous content
The development has come at a time when drone services are receiving increasing focus from the Indian government
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To bolster the surveillance system in the northern border, the Indian Army has floated tenders to procure 750 remotely piloted aerial vehicles or drones along with complete accessories through fast track procedure under emergency procurement.
The Indian government has also invited responses from Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) or authorised vendors or government sponsored export agencies who would be participating in the bidding round.
The newly acquired drones would be used by special forces for surveillance within a 5-km radius to execute pin-point precision strikes during raids, elimination of high value targets, among others.
The development has come at a time when drone services are receiving increasing focus from the Indian government for their deployment across segments such as agriculture, healthcare, defence.
“This equipment will be employed for situational awareness, short-range surveillance, scanning the target area and provide processed 3D image of the target before entering the target area,” the tender said.
The tender also noted that the drones would need to have at least 60% indigenous content, and in the case of drones that are designed indigenously, the requirement is at least 50%. The delivery of the equipment would have to be completed within 12 months from the date of contract signing.
It is pertinent to note that the Indian government has made a significant effort towards enabling drone adoption in the agricultural sector with Kisan Drones and by providing different incentives to the makers and users of drones. However, the effort is yet to reach its best in other segments, including defence.
Recently, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh asked Indian startups and innovators to come up with ideas for modernising the Indian Army.
During the DefExpo 2022 earlier this month, several drone startups got the opportunity to exhibit their products and services and some even signed MoUs with various international companies. In fact, India’s Garuda Aerospace signed a pact with Israel-based international defence electronics company Elbit Systems to manufacture drones to provide better support to various government agencies.
Drone Startups In India
The liberalisation of Drone Rule in India in 2021 has led to an increase in the number of startups in the segment.
In fact, there has been a 34.4% surge in the number of drone startups between August 2021 and February this year, from 157 startups to 221.
Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said earlier this year that India could potentially become a global drone hub by 2030.
The government is also backing drone startups with various incentives. The Ministry of Civil Aviation released a second provisional list of 23 beneficiaries under its Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for drone and drone components. The name currently includes startups Garuda Aerospace, Dhaksha Unmanned Systems, ideaForge Technology and IoTechWorld, Adani-Elbit Advanced Systems India, Aarav Unmanned Systems (now Aereo), among others.
The private funding in the segment is also growing. Earlier this year, Garuda Aerospace bagged an undisclosed amount in its Pre-Series A funding round led by Ocgrow Ventures.
EndureAir Systems raised INR 13.5 Cr as part of its seed funding round led by Asian Paints co-promoter Jalaj Dani in July this year.
In April, ideaForge raised $20 Mn in a Series B funding round led by Florintree.
As per a Statista report, revenue in the drones segment is expected to grow annually by 10.12% between 2022 and 2027, amounting to $32.28 Mn in 2027.
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