Adani Defence & Aerospace (Adani Defence and Aerospace Limited)
Adani Defence & Aerospace is the UAV manufacturing arm of the Adani Group, operating India's first private UAV manufacturing facility in Hyderabad through a JV with Israel's Elbit Systems. It manufact
Last verified:
At a Glance
- Headquarters
- Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India (UAV manufacturing complex in Hyderabad, Telangana)
- Type
- Manufacturer (listed)
- Founded
- Adani Defence & Aerospace operationalised mid-2010s; first private UAV manufacturing facility inaugurated with Elbit Systems in 2018
- India entity
- null
- Listed
- Not separately listed; wholly-owned subsidiary of Adani Enterprises Ltd (NSE: ADANIENT, BSE: 512599)
- Key India role
- Adani Defence & Aerospace is the UAV manufacturing arm of the Adani Group, operating India's first private UAV manufacturing facility in Hyderabad through a JV with Israel's Elbit Systems. It manufact
- indicators
- []
- key specs
- []
What It Is
Adani Defence & Aerospace is the UAV manufacturing arm of the Adani Group, operating India's first private UAV manufacturing facility in Hyderabad through a JV with Israel's Elbit Systems. It manufactures the Hermes 900 MALE UAV (Indian designation: Drishti-10 Starliner) for the Indian Navy and Army under a ~US$300M contract, and has expanded into indigenous loitering munitions (Agnikaa VTOL-1, SR-1) and ULPGM precision munitions delivered to the Indian Army. While licence-assembling Israeli platforms has drawn criticism over indigenous content, the company has become a cornerstone of India's MALE-UAV capacity and was the supplier of the country's first indigenously manufactured MALE drone delivered in January 2024.
Deployments & Procurement
3 documented India deployment(s)/procurement(s).
| Agency | Context | Year | Quantity / Note | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indian Navy | Delivery of first India-made MALE UAV Drishti-10 Starliner (Hermes 900) at Hyderabad; bought under Emergency Procurement; ~12 systems for Navy/Army | 2024 | 12 (across Navy/Army) | [1][2][3] |
| Indian Army | Delivery of DRDO-developed kamikaze drone (Agnikaa VTOL-1) and UAV-launched precision munition (ULPGM) systems under emergency procurement | 2024 | undisclosed | [1][2][3] |
| Indian Navy (investigation) | Drishti-10 Starliner crashed off Gujarat coast near Porbandar during training (Jan 2025) | 2025 | 1 (loss) | [1][2][3] |
Import Dependencies
Not analysed in this dossier.
Intelligence Assessment
Methodology: /research/methodology/
FAQ
Is Adani Defence & Aerospace a separately listed company?
No. Adani Defence & Aerospace is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Adani Enterprises Ltd (NSE: ADANIENT, BSE: 512599), the flagship listed entity of the Adani Group.
What is the Drishti-10 Starliner UAV?
Drishti-10 Starliner is the Indian designation of the Elbit Hermes 900 MALE UAV, licence-manufactured by Adani Defence & Aerospace at its Adani-Elbit UAV complex in Hyderabad. The first India-made unit was delivered to the Indian Navy in January 2024 under a ~US$300M contract for ~12 systems.
Which kamikaze drone did Adani Defence deliver to the Indian Army?
Adani Defence delivered the Agnikaa VTOL-1, India's first FPV kamikaze drone in its class, along with DRDO-developed ULPGM (UAV-Launched Precision Guided Munition) systems, to the Indian Army under emergency procurement.
Sources
- src-01Officialhttps://www.adani.com/newsroom/media-releases/adani-defence-and-aerospace-and-elbit-systems-inaugurate-india-first-private-uav-manufacturing
Adani-Elbit UAV complex in Hyderabad is India's first private UAV manufacturing facility and first facility outside Israel to manufacture Hermes 900
- src-02Crediblehttps://www.thehindu.com/news/national/navy-chief-formally-receives-drishti-10-long-endurance-uav-from-adani-defence-in-hyderabad/article67726088.ece
Navy Chief formally receives Drishti-10 MALE UAV from Adani Defence in Hyderabad (Jan 2024)
- src-03Crediblehttps://unmanned-network.com/navy-gets-its-first-india-made-drones-from-adani-defence-hermes-900
Navy gets first India-made drones (Drishti-10 / Hermes 900) from Adani Defence Hyderabad facility
- src-04Indicativehttp://trishul-trident.blogspot.com/2023/11/hermes-900-male-uavs-aka-drishti-10.html
Reports US$300M contract for 12 Hermes 900s licence-assembled by Adani for Navy/Army
- src-05Crediblehttps://thedefensepost.com/2024/01/12/india-indigenous-male-drone
Indian Navy receives first indigenous MALE drone; references 6 Hermes 900 procurement from Israel (Nov 2023)
- src-06Crediblehttps://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/defence/news/army-gets-drdo-developed-kamikaze-drone-uav-launched-precision-munition-systems-from-adani-defence/articleshow/131026247.cms
Indian Army gets DRDO-developed kamikaze drone (Agnikaa VTOL-1) and ULPGM from Adani Defence
- src-07Crediblehttps://www.janes.com/defence-intelligence-insights/defence-news/air/defense-security-2025-adani-displays-new-loitering-munitions
Adani displays SR-1 loitering munition at Defense & Security 2025
- src-08Indicativehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elbit_Hermes_900
Notes Jan 2025 crash of Drishti-10 Starliner off Gujarat coast near Porbandar
- src-09Officialhttps://www.adanidefence.com/unmanned-systems
Company unmanned systems page describing ISR and loitering munitions portfolio
- src-10Indicativehttps://peoplesdemocracy.in/2024/0204_pd/tapas-drone-project-scrapped
Notes four India-made UAVs (two each for Army/Navy) from Adani Defence, assembled from knock-down kits
- src-11Indicativehttps://www.adanienterprises.com
Confirms Adani Defence & Aerospace is a subsidiary of Adani Enterprises (NSE: ADANIENT, BSE: 512599) [Domain root only; demoted to indicative per Atlas source-quality rule.]