SOURCE: AFI
Pune-based defense startup Artemon Aerospace has achieved a significant milestone in India’s quest for self-reliant defense technology, successfully completing demonstration trials of its Canister-Launched Loitering Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) System (Medium) with the Indian Army’s Infantry Directorate. The trials, conducted as part of the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) initiative, mark a pivotal step forward for the company and underscore India’s growing expertise in indigenous unmanned systems. The achievement, announced on July 4, 2025, highlights Artemon’s role in advancing the Indian Army’s capabilities in precision strike, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions.
Artemon Aerospace, a bootstrapped startup founded in 2012 by Sushil Ghule and Saurabh Ghule, has emerged as a key player in India’s defense ecosystem, specializing in cutting-edge loitering munitions and unmanned aerial systems. The company’s success in the iDEX Swavlamban 2023 event, where it showcased its loitering munition prototypes, earned it recognition and support from the Indian armed forces. The recent trials of its Canister-Launched Loitering UAV System, conducted under the scrutiny of the Indian Army’s Infantry Directorate, demonstrate the system’s readiness for operational deployment.
The Canister-Launched Loitering UAV, designed for rapid deployment and versatility, is a medium-class system capable of performing intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), and precision strike missions. Launched from a canister, the UAV is engineered to operate in diverse environments, including the challenging terrains along India’s western and northern borders. Its compact design, coupled with advanced electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) payloads and GNSS-denied navigation, makes it an ideal asset for modern battlefield scenarios where stealth, endurance, and precision are paramount.
The demonstration trials, conducted in early 2025, showcased the UAV’s ability to meet the Indian Army’s stringent performance parameters. According to sources, the system demonstrated reliable performance in key areas, including vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capabilities, long endurance, precision targeting, and operational versatility. The UAV maintained a stable real-time video link over a mission radius exceeding 50 km, with a total range, including loitering time, surpassing 170 km and an endurance of approximately 1.5 hours. These capabilities align with the Army’s requirements for a multi-role platform that can conduct surveillance, engage enemy targets, and return autonomously to its launch point.
The canister-launch mechanism enhances the system’s operational flexibility, allowing it to be deployed from ground-based platforms, vehicles, or potentially even naval vessels. The UAV’s carbon fiber construction ensures durability and low radar detectability, making it difficult for adversaries to intercept. Equipped with a 1 to 1.5 kg warhead, the system can function as a kamikaze drone for precision strikes or operate in a reusable mode for ISR missions, offering tactical adaptability in dynamic combat scenarios.
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