New Delhi: Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Garuda Aerospace have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly address upcoming opportunities for the supply of indigenous Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) to the Indian Defence Forces, Central Police Organisations (CPOs) and specialised security agencies, strengthening India’s self-reliance in defence technologies.
The MoU has been signed on January 13, in New Delhi between Agnishwar Jayaprakash, Founder and Director of Garuda Aerospace Ltd, and Prahalad, General Manager (Marketing), BEL. Under the partnership framework, BEL will act as the team leader and lead bidder, while Garuda Aerospace will serve as the technology and teaming partner.
The collaboration aims to combine BEL’s extensive experience in defence electronics, system integration and programme execution with Garuda Aerospace’s expertise in advanced drone design, manufacturing and deployment. Together, the two companies plan to develop and deliver mission-critical, indigenous unmanned solutions aligned with the evolving operational requirements of India’s defence and internal security ecosystem.
The MoU reflects the shared intent of both organisations to support the national objective of self-reliance in defence manufacturing under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative. To operationalise the partnership, the parties will subsequently enter into a separate Teaming Agreement, which will define binding terms such as scope of work and work-share distribution, based on end-customer requirements and applicable procurement procedures.
Commenting on the development, Agnishwar Jayaprakash said the collaboration marks an important step towards advancing India’s indigenous defence manufacturing capabilities. He noted that Garuda Aerospace has been working closely with defence and government agencies and has contributed to national initiatives such as the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra and Namo Didi. Partnering with BEL, he added, will enable the delivery of scalable, mission-ready and fully indigenous UAS solutions for India’s security forces.
BEL, in a statement shared on its official platforms, said the partnership is aimed at leveraging the complementary strengths of both organisations to develop unmanned systems that cater to the operational needs of the defence and internal security sectors, while reinforcing the Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision.
The signing of the MoU marks a significant milestone in collaboration between a leading public sector defence enterprise and a new-age Indian drone manufacturer, paving the way for the development of scalable and indigenously developed unmanned aerial systems for national security applications.
Garuda Aerospace is an Indian drone technology start-up focused on precision agriculture and Industry 4.0 applications, with capabilities spanning the design, build and customisation of unmanned aerial vehicles.
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