The Army Design Bureau’s Additional Director General, Major General Gopal Kapoor, visited Garuda Aerospace’s defence drone manufacturing facility in Chennai on Friday to review the company’s indigenous production and localisation capabilities, the drone technology company said.
The visit focused on Garuda Aerospace’s ongoing and proposed projects for India’s defence and drone ecosystem. The company presented its defence programmes, manufacturing operations, research and development initiatives, and industry partnerships to the Army Design Bureau team.
Garuda Aerospace also outlined its drone pilot training ecosystem, including its Remote Pilot Training Organisations. The company said it had discussed initiatives proposed to the Chief of Defence Staff to train 80,000 Agniveers across the three services, while also presenting projects currently in its pipeline.
The review included the company’s testing and compliance processes. According to Garuda Aerospace’s statement, the team examined its vulnerability checklist and testing procedures in coordination with authorised agencies to assess adherence to applicable defence standards. The statement did not provide details of any procurement decision, contract award or operational deployment arising from the visit.
The Chennai facility covers 50,000 square feet and includes injection moulding, industrial-grade 3D printing, battery assembly and testing infrastructure. Garuda Aerospace said the facility is supported by more than 50 PhD researchers working in areas including printed circuit board manufacturing, radio-frequency antennae, communication systems and ground control stations.
The visit places attention on the manufacturing and technical systems required to build a domestic drone ecosystem beyond individual aircraft. These include component production, battery testing, communications equipment, control stations, pilot training and procedures for evaluating vulnerabilities and compliance with defence standards.
Garuda Aerospace said the Army Design Bureau was briefed on its localisation capabilities and projects supporting India’s evolving defence and drone ecosystem. The company’s statement did not specify the individual platforms or programmes discussed, nor did it announce a timeline for any future government decision.
The next steps identified in the statement relate to the company’s ongoing and upcoming projects, its training initiatives and continued testing and review in coordination with authorised agencies.
