Garuda Aerospace has signed an agreement with Airbus Helicopters to buy up to 18 Flexrotor unmanned aerial systems (UAS), which are advanced drones.
This deal will help Garuda Aerospace grow its international presence by offering high-tech drone services for monitoring and intelligence.
The drone industry is also changing, moving from simple drone manufacturing to providing more advanced and long-range aerial services, and this partnership reflects that shift.
Garuda Aerospace has produced more than 5,000 drones and currently holds about 30% of the agricultural drone market in India.
With the addition of the new Flexrotor drones, the company plans to expand globally using a leasing model. This will include dry leases, where only the equipment is provided, and wet leases, where the drone is offered along with crew and maintenance services.
“Our partnership with Airbus Helicopters to integrate the Flexrotor into our global leasing portfolio marks a significant milestone in our international expansion and investment strategy. Having manufactured and sold over 5,000 drones and served more than 500 enterprise and government clients globally, we are now scaling our range of services and strengthening our global product portfolio,” said Agnishwar Jayaprakash, Founder and CEO of Garuda Aerospace.
The Flexrotor, developed by Airbus Helicopters, is a lightweight tactical drone designed for long missions. It can stay in the air for 12–14 hours and weighs about 25 kg. The drone is mainly used for ISTAR operations—intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance—and is equipped with advanced sensors to collect data across large areas.
The drone is highly mobile and can be quickly deployed in remote locations. It only needs a small 3.7 × 3.7 metre launch area and can automatically take off or land on both land and ships. The system can be unpacked and ready to fly in less than 30 minutes.
“The Flexrotor offers the best trade off in terms of payload capability, endurance and expeditionary agility thanks to its small footprint. We see a strong interest in Flexrotor from the market both for military and civil operations,” Olivier Michalon, Executive Vice President of Global Business for Airbus Helicopters, noted.
This partnership will help Garuda Aerospace expand in North America through its Garuda Technologies Inc. based in Delaware.
The Flexrotor drones from Airbus Helicopters will be used for several tasks, including monitoring oil and gas pipelines, inspecting railway infrastructure, and helping in disaster response operations such as wildfire monitoring.
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