L&T, American General Atomics join hands to build MALE drones in India

MUMBAI: At a time when the Indian armed forces are looking to buy 87 medium-altitude long-endurance drones, Indian defence major Larsen & Toubro and American General Atomics have tied up to build these drones in India.

Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and US-based General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) on Friday announced that they have entered into a strategic partnership to build these drones in the country.

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.

L&T & US-based GA-ASI have formed a strategic partnership to manufacture combat-proven MALE RPAS in India. L&T will be the prime bidder for the 87 RPAS program, producing MQ-series drones locally under #MakeInIndia.#IndianDefence pic.twitter.com/AUWp1cXESh

— Netram Defence Review (@NetramDefence) October 31, 2025

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 honored 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.”

At a time when Operation Sindoor against Pakistan is still ongoing, India is looking to fast-track the project for acquiring 87 medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) drones to further enhance its surveillance capabilities over both sea and land borders. A tri-service proposal of around Rs 20,000 crore, with the Indian Air Force (IAF) in the lead, is expected to be discussed by the Defence Ministry at a high-level meeting soon. (ANI)