Tata Elxsi, a leading design and technology services provider, has teamed up with Garuda Aerospace to establish a design, engineering, and certification centre for indigenous drone technologies. This collaboration aims to support India’s defence, agriculture, and smart city initiatives under the ‘Make in India’ banner.

The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) during Aero India 2025 in Bengaluru. Tata Elxsi will take charge of designing, developing, testing, and certifying unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) subsystems, leveraging its expertise in avionics, ground control systems, secured communication, energy optimisation, and miniaturisation. Garuda Aerospace, an established original equipment manufacturer (OEM) in the defence sector, will lead business acquisition and delivery.

The partnership will develop drones for applications such as payload management, goods delivery, precision agriculture, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.

The collaboration was showcased at Aero India 2025, where both companies exhibited prototypes, designs, and operational UAVs. A demonstration of indigenised UAV components highlighted India’s progress in autonomous UAV technology. The Indian defence forces and Border Security Force are expected to benefit significantly from the advanced UAV capabilities developed under this initiative.

“This strategic collaboration with Tata Elxsi reinforces our commitment to indigenous innovation. Over the next three to five years, we will focus on fully indigenised production and supply of airborne and ground systems, strengthening India’s leadership in UAV technology,” Founder & CEO of Garuda Aerospace, Agnishwar Jayaprakash said.