The order pertains to the procurement of 87 medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The bid submission window closed on June 16, following two prior extensions, according to the report.
Who Have Submitted Bids For IAF’s ₹30,000 Crore Order?
As per the report, most of India’s major defence equipment manufacturers have placed bids for this high value contract. Some of those companies include:
- Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL)
- Solar Defence & Aerospace
- Adani Defence Systems
- Tata Advanced Systems
- Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and
- Raphe mPhibr Ltd.
For reducing redundancies and accelerate manufacturing, the said order will be split between the lowest (L1) and the second-lowest (L2) bidders, effectively establishing two distinct production lines.
The Push For UAVs
These advanced UAVs are slated to be equipped with cutting-edge surveillance and combat features, including real-time intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities.
Reports also indicate that the project involves plans to integrate indigenous missile systems with the drones.
Increasing Drone Importance
The Indian Army’s Directorate General of Army Air Defence has issued a Request for Information (RFI) for three new aerial target systems, including a swarm-drone target system. This project falls under the ‘Buy (Indian-IDDM)’ category, which mandates a minimum of 50% indigenous content.
Additionally, The IAF has launched a project to co-develop indigenous long-range Kamikaze drones. A limited tender has already been issued to select Indian companies for the development of One-Way Attack Unmanned Aerial Systems (OWA-UAS).
Record Defence Production
In a separate announcement, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh wrote on “X” that India’s defence production has surged to a record high of ₹1.78 lakh crore in financial year 2026, registering a 15.6% growth from the previous financial year.
