SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
Europe’s Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR), overseeing the Eurodrone programme, has extended an offer to India for a customized variant of the medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) remotely piloted aircraft system. The programme, led by Airbus’s defence unit in collaboration with industrial partners Airbus Defence & Space Spain, Dassault Aviation, and Leonardo, has gained traction since India joined as an observer in August 2024. This move signals a potential deepening of defense ties between India and Europe, leveraging India’s growing interest in advanced UAV technology.
The development was first highlighted by idrw.org, which reported that a team from India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) recently visited the Hallbergmoos site near Munich, where Eurodrone manufacturing is underway. This visit, confirmed by idrw.org, provided DRDO officials with an in-depth look at the platform’s capabilities. Significantly, they were informed that the Eurodrone’s modular architecture allows for customization with local technologies, including those already developed by DRDO for its indigenous Tapas and Archer-NG UAV programs.
The Eurodrone, designed for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) missions, aligns with India’s strategic needs, particularly for high-altitude surveillance along the Line of Actual Control and maritime reconnaissance in the Indo-Pacific. DRDO’s exposure to the platform’s advanced sensor suite, secure data handling, and all-weather operational capabilities has sparked interest in integrating homegrown innovations. Technologies from the Tapas (Rustom-II) and the next-generation Archer-NG programs, which focus on endurance and payload enhancements, could be adapted to create a tailored Eurodrone variant suited to India’s operational requirements.
NOTE: Article cannot be reproduced without written permission of idrw.org in any form even for YouTube Videos to avoid Copy right strikes. Websites doing illegal reproductions will get DMCA and Legal Notices.