‘Could enter commercial side too in India’, says US drone major Skydio after defence tie-up with desi firm



msid 107890143,imgsize 527049

NEW DELHI: After tying up with an Indian company to make unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) here for defence customers in the Indo-Pacific region, American drone major Skydio could also bring its commercial (non-defence) products to the country. “We typically enter a new country with our defence-side products. But over time we of course want to expand to non-military, non-government use cases.To serve commercial use cases as well. So it is a progression and it will happen over time,” Skydio chief revenue officer Callan Carpenter told TOI here Wednesday.
Skydio, which was among the top five US drone-makers approved by the defence department there for purchase by the federal government after the use of China-made UAVs was banned in 2020, has tied up with India’s Aeroarc for joint manufacturing here and to “support the establishment of India as a global hub for advanced defence technology.”
“Today we focus on three main market segments — government/defence; public safety and inspection of critical infrastructure. The last one is (about) power distribution lines and generation bridges, highways. We can also provide the same kind of overwatch and security that we provide for say a military base or for a military unit in the field for perimeter security at a power plant or for overwatch at a construction site. Inspection is required everywhere like oil and gas construction. We even have our drones being used for inventory management. We have a large customer base,” Carpenter said. Skydio says over time it is adding more attachments and different kinds of sensors to its drones to “make them useful in different, different use cases.”
Meanwhile on the defence side, Skydio will bring “advanced autonomous flight technology” to India. Its partnership with Aeroarc will develop, manufacture, deploy and support small uncrewed aircraft systems (SUAS). “The Skydio-Aeroarc collaboration will serve the needs of the Indian defence ministry as well as other global defence customers in the Indo-Pacific region,” the company said.
Skydio had last year established an R&D centre in Bengaluru. “Through its relationship with Aeroarc, Skydio will grow its manufacturing presence in the region, co-develop domain-specific UAS applications, and promote market expansion,” the company says. Skydio provides drone solutions to over 1,900 companies and government agencies including every branch of the US military and numerous allied countries.
Skydio CEO & co-founder Adam Bry said: “As the largest manufacturer of small uncrewed aircraft systems outside of China, we’re excited to continue our investment in India and partner with Aeroarc on critical, dual-use products and capabilities that help allied nations in the Indo-Pacific region deter conflict and protect troops. We believe autonomous drone technology is central to the future of India’s defence innovation strategy.”





Source link

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *