Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) have formed a strategic partnership to manufacture Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) in India. This collaboration aims to support the Indian armed forces and aligns with the Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiatives. The partnership will participate in the upcoming 87 MALE RPAS programme.
Strategic Alliance for RPAS Manufacturing
Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and US-based General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) have announced a strategic partnership focused on manufacturing Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) in India. This initiative supports the needs of the Indian armed forces.
Key Partnership Objectives
The collaboration leverages GA-ASI’s expertise in unmanned aerial systems and L&T’s capabilities in engineering, precision manufacturing, and system integration. Together, they aim to deliver combat-proven MALE RPAS platforms manufactured entirely in India. This program includes critical technology transfers and aims to meet the indigenous content requirements aligned with the Government of India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiatives.
Participation in Defence Programme
Under this strategic partnership, L&T will participate in the upcoming 87 MALE RPAS programme of the Ministry of Defence, with L&T acting as the prime bidder and GA-ASI serving as the technology partner. This alliance will facilitate the production of GA-ASI’s MQ-series RPAS, which have been combat-proven and are widely operational globally.
Statements from Leadership
S N Subrahmanyan, Chairman & Managing Director, L&T, stated that this partnership provides India with a unique opportunity to indigenously manufacture state-of-the-art unmanned platforms. He expressed pride in joining hands with GA-ASI, recognizing their global leadership in this domain.
Dr Vivek Lall, Chief Executive, General Atomics Global Corporation, highlighted their honor in serving the Indian market in partnership with Larsen & Toubro. He added that this collaboration supports India’s vision for self-reliance and indigenous manufacturing in aerospace.
Source: BSE
