‘Operation Sindoor called, we delivered’: Gautam Adani makes powerful pitch on homegrown drone warfare and defence readiness

Various drones made by Adani Defence & Aerospace played a crucial role in attacking enemy targets and protecting Indian skies during the recent conflict with Pakistan, said Gautam Adani, Chairman, Adani Group.

"Operation Sindoor called, and we delivered. Our drones became the eyes in the skies as well as the swords of attack, and our anti-drone systems helped protect our forces and citizens," he said, while addressing group shareholders today in a webcast.

In the four-day military conflict from March 7, the Indian defence forces extensively used Israel's Medium Altitude Long Endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (MALE) Hermes 900, Harops, other anti-drone systems, and SkyStriker kamikaze drones, co-developed with Adani Group's Alpha Design Technologies, reports had said.

Following the successful deployment of Israeli-supplied Harop loitering munitions in Operation Sindoor, the IAF is planning to buy more units of the Adani-made Agnikaa-AR autonomous weapon systems, the licensed variant of Harop from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), sources say.

In 2018, Adani forayed into defence manufacturing by setting up India's first private defence UAV manufacturing facility, in a joint venture with Elbit Systems of Israel to make Hermes 900 UAVs in India. Hermes 900 is a state-of-the-art, combat-proven, multi-role unmanned platform with an endurance of 36 hours, a payload capacity of 420 kg, and an altitude capability of over 32,000 feet (10 km+), with applications across civil, defence, and homeland security.

The Adani Elbit Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Complex (UAV) in Hyderabad, started in December 2018, is the first private UAV manufacturing facility in India and the first facility outside Israel to manufacture the Hermes 900 UAV. The factory began operations with the manufacturing of complete carbon composite aerostructures for Hermes 900, followed by Hermes 450, catering to global markets, and was ramped up for the assembly and integration of complete UAVs.

By 2020, the JV started exporting the Hermes 900 Unmanned Aerial Platform to international customers and established a "Design and Development Centre" focusing on co-developing defence technologies aligned to global requirements.

In January 2024, the JV began supplying the Drishti 10 Starliner Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), an advanced intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) platform with 36 hours of endurance and a 450 kg payload capacity, to the Indian Navy.

Now, Adani manufactures attack and surveillance drones like Drishti 10 (Starliner) MALE UAS, Drishti 6 tactical UAS, Aramukhi long-endurance tactical mini UAS, Sting Bee VTOL small-UAS platform, and SNAP-X quadcopter for real-time aerial intelligence, among others, in addition to several counter-drone systems with jammers, lasers, and radar systems.

"As I have always believed — we don’t operate in safe zones. We operate where it matters — where India needs us the most," said Adani.