Tata Elxsi, Garuda Aerospace Partner to Establish Drone Design and Certification Centre

Tata Elxsi has partnered with drone manufacturer Garuda Aerospace to establish a design, engineering, and certification centre focused on developing indigenous drone technologies for defence, agriculture, and smart cities.

Announced at Aero India 2025, the collaboration aligns with the 'Make in India' initiative, with both companies showcasing prototypes, operational UAVs, and indigenised UAV components at the event.

Under the partnership, Tata Elxsi will lead the design, development, testing, and certification of UAV subsystems, leveraging expertise in avionics, miniaturisation, ground control systems, secured communication, and energy optimisation. Garuda Aerospace, with its strong presence in the defence sector, will focus on business acquisition and delivery.

The drones developed will cater to multiple applications, including payload management, goods delivery, precision agriculture, and ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) missions.

"Our partnership with Garuda Aerospace marks a major milestone in India's aerospace ambitions. By driving AI-powered UAV advancements, we are strengthening India's defence ecosystem and reinforcing the country's self-reliance in aerospace technologies," said Jayaraj Rajapandian, Head of Aerospace, Rail & Off-highway at Tata Elxsi.

The collaboration is expected to benefit India’s defence forces and Border Security Force with advanced UAV capabilities while creating employment opportunities in the aerospace sector.

"This strategic collaboration with Tata Elxsi reinforces our commitment to indigenous innovation. Over the next three to five years, we will focus on fully indigenised production and supply of airborne and ground systems, strengthening India's leadership in UAV technology," said Agnishwar Jayaprakash, Founder & CEO of Garuda Aerospace.

HBL