After Op Sindoor, India goes in for more Heron Mk IIs; Israel frontrunner for mega MALE drones deal

Order for 87 MALE drones will be split between 2 Indian firms in 64:36 ratio to ensure there are 2 independent manufacturing lines with at least 60% indigenous components.

Heron Mk II drones have endurance of 45 hours and can fly more than 1,000 kms without refuelling. | iai.co.il

Tel Aviv: Indian armed forces have signed up for additional satellite-linked Heron Mk II drones under emergency procurement following the successful use of these unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) during Operation Sindoor.

Sources in the Israeli defence industry said that while earlier the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force used the Mk II drones, which were bought following the rise in tensions with China along the Ladakh border, the Navy has also bought them now.  

“Following Op Sindoor, all the three services have gone in for Heron Mk II under emergency procurement,” a source said, without going into specifics like numbers.

Under emergency procurement, the Service Headquarters can sign contracts for equipment worth up to Rs 300 crore directly, rather than going in for the long and convoluted regular procurement process. 

Heron Mk II drones have an endurance of 45 hours and can fly over 1,000 kms without refuelling. The Herons and other classes of drones were used extensively during Operation Sindoor to not only document the strikes on 7 May, but also subsequently during the operation.  

On 7 May, an Indian operated drone had managed to fly into Pakistani airspace and capture the missile strikes on nine terror centres including in their Punjab province.  

India started using drones from the late 90s, with the IAF inducting the Searcher UAVs from State-run Israel Aerospace Industry (IAI). Incidentally, IAI was the first in the world to manufacture drones and had developed ‘Scout’ in the late 1970s, following their experience in the 1973 war with Arab nations where a need for real-time intelligence was felt.

Israel frontrunner for MALE programme

Aside from the emergency procurement of Heron Mk II drones, the Indian armed forces have also issued a tender for 87 other Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAVs under what is estimated to be over Rs 20,000-crore project under Make in India. 

This is a tri-service project with the IAF in the lead. The Request for Proposal (RFP) has gone to multiple Indian companies. These Indian firms have the option of tying up with a foreign firm or offering their own products. In total, about 24 Indian companies have shown their interest.

The order will be split between two Indian companies in a 64:36 ratio to ensure that there are two independent manufacturing lines in India, with at least 60 percent indigenous components.

Sources explained that when it comes to foreign drones under the Make in India route, Israeli firms are frontrunners.

For example, the RFP for the 87 MALE UAVs has been received by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and ELCOM, which have tied up with Israel’s IAI; by Adani Aerospace and Defence, which has partnered with another Israeli firm, Elbit; and by Larsen & Toubro, which has teamed up with the US company General Atomics (GA).

The frontrunners among foreign OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) for the MALE contract are IAI with its Heron Mk II, Elbit with its Hermes, and General Atomics with its Grey Eagle.

In October last year, India signed a contract for 31 High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) category drones from GA. 

(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)