Union Minister opens defence drone facility in Chennai
The Chennai facility will produce and test a new range of indigenous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) designed for defence and disaster response.
CHENNAI: Union Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth on Friday inaugurated Garuda Aerospace's new defence drone manufacturing facility at Thalambur near Chennai, and laid the foundation stone for a larger Defence Park in Cheyyur.
The Chennai facility will produce and test a new range of indigenous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) designed for defence and disaster response. Five systems were unveiled at the event: the Avalanche Victim Drone for high-altitude search and rescue, the Swarm Drone for coordinated strike and surveillance, the Jawan Drone for frontline soldier support, the Canister Dropping Drone for rapid battlefield payload delivery, and Droni 2.0, an upgraded multipurpose UAV for defence and civilian use.
The upcoming Cheyyur Defence Park, spread over 76 acres along East Coast Road, is expected to serve as a hub for drone manufacturing, testing, and R&D, with a focus on AI-powered and weaponised UAV systems.
"Inauguration of this world-class drone facility in Chennai represents a complete ecosystem of design, R&D, incubation, certification, and production, integrating academia, industry, and defence," Minister Seth noted. He also added that such indigenous innovation, driven by young engineers and entrepreneurs, can meet India's modern defence needs while also serving civilian applications.
The company also announced new training and certification programmes, including a free Remote Pilot Certification (RPC) course for defence personnel, with the first batch of jawans receiving their certificates during the event, and a free drone training initiative for widows of soldiers.
As part of its expansion, Garuda said it will set up a Defence Drone Lab in collaboration with the 13 JAK Rifles (Ladakh and Gwalior) to develop mission-specific applications. The company also introduced mobile support units called "Garuda Akash Raksha Vans" for drone deployment and maintenance across commands.
Agnishwar Jayaprakash, founder and CEO of Garuda Aerospace, said the company's mission was to make India self-reliant in defence drone technology. "By 2027, we aim to ensure that India is not only prepared for the future of drone warfare but is also setting global benchmarks in innovation and reliability," he said.
