L&T Strengthens India's Defence with New Aeronautics Pact

Larsen & Toubro (L&T), a leading infrastructure company, announced a strategic collaboration on Friday with US-based General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) to produce unmanned aircraft systems for the Indian Army.

This partnership will leverage L&T's engineering excellence and GA-ASI's operational prowess to manufacture Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) in India. L&T will serve as the prime bidder for the upcoming Ministry of Defence's 87 MALE RPAS programme, with GA-ASI providing the necessary technology insights.

The move is a significant stride toward India's self-reliance in the defence sector, reinforcing the Indo-US strategic relationship. The chairman of L&T, S N Subrahmanyan, emphasized this opportunity to indigenously produce cutting-edge unmanned platforms, which will bolster India's defence capabilities.