Chairman and Managing Director of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), D.K. Sunil recently claimed that the state-run DPSU (defence public sector undertaking) is getting ready with a drone that is bigger than Iran's Shahed.
Shahed has become one of the most talked-about weapons in the ongoing West Asia war as the cheap, long-range kamikaze drone allows Iran to overwhelm expensive air defence systems. These drones can be launched in large numbers, increasing the chances of at least a few of them managing to penetrate the air defence systems and hit the targets.
According to an exclusive report in Times Now, Sunil said HAL is working on a "larger bird" than the Shahed, which is more "compact," even as many private sector companies are working on smaller drones.
According to the report, the drone that will be developed by HAL will carry weapons and will be used for reconnaissance.
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The move comes even as the Indian Army has been increasingly using drones for intelligence gathering, real-time monitoring, target acquisition, and combat missions, while reducing risk to personnel.
India has been pushing for indigenous drone development through programmes like iDEX, with the defence ministry supporting startups to build surveillance drones, swarm systems and counter-drone technologies.
