Directorate General of Civil Aviation chief Faiz Ahmed Kidwai on Wednesday inaugurated a drone battery manufacturing facility set up by Garuda Aerospace in Chennai. The company is backed by former Indian cricket captain MS Dhoni. The inauguration took place during Bharat Drone Udaan, an industry event organised by the Bharat Drone Association at Garuda Aerospace’s operations centre. In a statement, the company said the new battery facility marks another step towards strengthening India’s indigenous drone manufacturing ecosystem, following its recent launch of a defence drone manufacturing unit. According to Garuda Aerospace, the battery plant will enable end-to-end domestic production of critical components and reduce dependence on imports, a key priority as drone usage expands across civilian and defence applications. During the visit, Kidwai also inaugurated a new academic block at the company’s DGCA-approved Remote Pilot Training Organisation. The expanded infrastructure is expected to increase training capacity and help meet rising demand for certified drone pilots across sectors such as agriculture, infrastructure, defence, disaster management and logistics. On the occasion, the DGCA chief released the Garuda Bharat Drone Udaan Impact Book, which documents innovative drone applications, case studies and the company’s growth journey in India’s drone sector. Addressing the gathering, Kidwai said Garuda Aerospace is among the few Indian companies manufacturing a wide range of drones for diverse uses. He added that its focus on indigenisation, including in-house production and assembly of key components, sets an important benchmark for the industry, while trained pilots will be critical as drone applications scale up. Garuda Aerospace Founder and Director Agnishwar Jayaprakash said the company has evolved over the past decade from an agri-tech startup into India’s largest drone manufacturer. He noted that it has produced more than 3,000 drones and trained over 2,500 pilots, and was the first firm to receive DGCA approvals for both drone manufacturing and pilot training. Jayaprakash credited supportive government policies and regulatory guidance for accelerating growth in the sector.