Sources – Indianexpress
Indian Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar unveiled the first indigenously manufactured Drishti 10 Starliner Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) in a ceremony held in Adani Aerospace Park at Hyderabad on Wednesday.
So, what is Drishti 10 Starliner Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)?
Drishti 10 Starliner Unmanned Aerial Vehicle is an advanced intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) platform, developed by Adani Defence and Aerospace, and represents a significant leap forward in India’s defence technology.
The Drishti 10 Starliner boasts an impressive 36 hours of endurance and a substantial 450 kg payload capacity. It stands out as the only all-weather military platform certified with NATO’s STANAG 4671 (standardized agreement 4671) for airworthiness, allowing it to operate in both segregated and unsegregated airspace. The UAV is set to be transported from Hyderabad to Porbandar, where it will be officially inducted into naval maritime operations.
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Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval Staff said while the Indian Navy has been operating UAVs over the last two decades, the delivery of ‘Drishti’ symbolises the Navy’s vision to be a ‘atmanirbhar’ force, he added.
The admiral highlighted the strategic importance of the Drishti 10 Starliner, equipped with state-of-the-art sensors, enhanced endurance, advanced communication capabilities, and cutting-edge technologies. The UAV would play a pivotal role in shaping future naval operations and safeguarding India’s national maritime interests in the Indian Ocean region, Kumar said.
Vice President of Adani Enterprises, Jeet Adani, said that the platform will primarily help expand the Navy’s anti-piracy and seaborne missions. “In terms of its abilities, it’s a medium-altitude, low-endurance machine. So it’s meant for a sort of 1000-mile operational range and as you may have heard the chief of Naval Staff talk about it earlier today, what this is primarily going to augment is their anti-piracy and seaborne missions,” ANI quoted Adani as saying.
