India Prepares for Medium Altitude Long Endurance UAV Trials as Part of Indigenous Defence Initiative
India is set to advance its indigenous unmanned aerial capabilities as the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) prepares to initiate flight trials for the Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAV programme within the upcoming six months. This development signifies a pivotal step in India's pursuit of self-sufficiency in advanced drone technologies.
The forthcoming trials, which will be jointly conducted by DRDO alongside selected private sector partners, are aimed at achieving deployment readiness swiftly. This aligns with the Ministry of Defence’s emphasis on speeding up defence acquisitions as part of the “Make in India” initiative.
According to official procurement details, a tender for 87 MALE-class UAVs will be managed through a split-order model. In this approach, 64 percent of the order will go to the L1 bidder, while the remaining 36 percent will be awarded to the L2 bidder. This strategy is intended to foster healthy competition, ensure prompt delivery, and balance industrial collaboration, mirroring models seen in other significant Indian defence contracts.
The MALE UAVs currently being developed are anticipated to be equipped with sophisticated Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) payloads, satellite communication links, and have an endurance capability of over 24 hours. These drones are being designed for persistent operations across varied terrains, from high-altitude border areas to maritime zones, thereby augmenting India’s all-weather surveillance capacity.
The upcoming trials will scrutinize aspects such as platform stability, flight endurance, mission automation, and payload integration to ensure the UAVs meet the operational standards required by the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force.
Experts in the defence sector suggest that, contingent on successful trials, production contracts could be finalized by late 2026, paving the way for extensive integration into the tri-services by 2027.
This initiative is part of India's larger national strategy aimed at reducing reliance on imported UAVs and establishing a robust domestic ecosystem for the development of unmanned systems. It underscores India's increasing commitment to technological autonomy, joint industrial collaboration, and next-generation surveillance readiness in a changing regional security context.
