Explained: Why Drishti 10 Starliner UAV will be a major force multiplier

Calling for the induction of Adani Group-made Drishti 10 Starliner unmanned aerial vehicle as a force multiplier for his force, Indian Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar on Wednesday hoped that the drone system would serve as the third-eye in the sky.

“… Drishti 10 may serve as the third eye for us, providing us battlefield transparency with incisive clarity, enabling the Bharatiya Nausena_ to score a bulls-eye on anyone who dares cast an evil eye at the Nation and our citizens,” Admiral Kumar said.

As part of the agreement, Adani Defence & Aerospace handed over the first of two UAVs to the Indian Navy at a ceremony held at Adani Group’s facility in Hyderabad. The company will also deliver two such UAVs to the Indian Army.

Currently, the Indian Navy personnel are being trained at the facility and the Navy chief said that it would be over by mid of this month. The formal induction ceremony will take place at Porbandar in Gujarat next month. 

Adversaries have a large inventory of UAVs

Highlighting the importance of autonomous systems in the rapidly evolving and dynamic tech-infused wars, AdmiraL Hari Kumar said: "Sitting in our homes, we continue to witness their disproportionate impact in the ongoing conflicts in Europe and West Asia. Further, the recent incidents in the Northern Arabian Sea amply demonstrate the challenges posed by such systems when they fall in the hands of non-state actors and terrorists.”

Talking about the drone attacks in the last 40-42 days, the Navy chief said that 35 ships were attacked. These ships were mainly Israeli-owned, bearing Israeli flags or owned by them. The attacks take place in the Red Sea, North and Central Arabian Sea.

He further said that autonomous systems are becoming a preferred choice in the Order of Battle for nations across the globe these days.

“Both our immediate neighbours (China and Pakistan) collectively hold a very large inventory of UAVs. Therefore, it is only prudent that we, as a Nation, and as armed forces, continue to harness our resident expertise in this domain, by remaining agile, adaptable and ahead of the curve,” he said. 

Advantages of Drishti 10 Starliner

Admiral Kumar said that the UAV, once fully developed, would play a pivotal role “in shaping our future naval operations towards safeguarding India's national maritime interests in the ocean named after her, and ensure maritime security in collaboration with our friends and partners in this region.”

The drone system is equipped with state-of-the-art sensors, enhanced endurance, and advanced communication capabilities as well as new-age technologies like Automatic Take Off and Landing (ATOL). It is a home-assembled version of the Hermes-900 MALE UAV with 70 per cent indigenous content.

It has an endurance of 36 hours, 450 kgs payload capacity is the only all-weather military platform with STANAG 4671 certification, and is clear to fly in both segregated and unsegregated airspace.

Stating that the Drishti UAV would be a potent force multiplier, he said it would enhance capability and credibility in undertaking Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) across the Indian Ocean Region.

Adani Defence & Aerospace CEO Ashish Rajvanshi said that the first bird with 75 Navy personnel will leave from Hyderabad to Porbandar to be inducted into naval maritime operations.

Rajvanshi further said that the UAV has been delivered to the Navy on time and “it is a testament to our robust quality management processes and excellent support from our partners who have worked diligently over the last 10 months from contract to delivery.”

Speaking at the event, Director General Army Aviation Lt Gen AK Suri said that the Indian Army was looking to receive the Drishti-10s in the next 2-3 months.

“Hyderabad has the most evolved and most mature defence and aerospace ecosystem in the country,” Telangana’s Industries, Commerce and Information Technology Principal Secretary Jayesh Ranjan, said.

It should be noted that the three services – Army, Navy and Air Force had contracted to procure two Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAVs from Israel under emergency procurement. 

Indian Army and Indian Navy preferred to procure the Hermes 900 by Elbit Systems while the Indian Air Force procured the Heron Mk2 from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).

In 2022, the Army received four Heron-Mk2 UAVs from IAI. The contract was inked in 2021.