Garuda Opens Drone Battery Facility In Chennai

12 Jan 2026 CW Team

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.

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.

Infrastructure Transport

12 Jan 2026

Dhalbhumgarh Airport Faces 150-km Rule Hurdle

The issue has resurfaced following a recent statement by Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, who said that under existing aviation policy, a new greenfield airport is generally not permitted within an aerial distance of 150 kilometres of an operational civilian airport. He added, however, that if a formal proposal is submitted, its impact on the existing airport can be examined and relaxations may be considered on a case-by-case basis. While the clarification has revived some hope for Dhalbhumgarh, it has also underlined the scale of the technical challenge facing the project. Unde..

Infrastructure Transport

12 Jan 2026

Stakeholders Seek Parallel Ops For Vizag Airports

With road and metro rail links to Bhogapuram still several years away, stakeholders in north Andhra Pradesh have renewed demands to continue civil operations at INS Dega even after the commissioning of Bhogapuram International Airport. The new airport is expected to begin commercial operations from June. Officials said close to 80 per cent of the airport infrastructure at Bhogapuram, including the terminal building and internal approach roads, has already been completed. However, inadequate external connectivity remains a key concern. Making a case for parallel operations, Andhra Pradesh Air ..

Infrastructure Transport

12 Jan 2026

Govt To Roll Out V2V Tech To Cut Road Crashes

In an effort to curb road accidents, particularly in low-visibility conditions such as dense fog, the government is set to roll out vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication technology that will allow cars to exchange real-time data and alert drivers to potential dangers. The announcement was made by Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari after the 43rd meeting of the Transport Development Council. The technology involves installing an on-board unit (OBU) in vehicles, enabling wireless data exchange between nearby cars. This will allow vehicles to share information such as spee..