India’s drone manufacturer Garuda Aerospace has signed a contract with Airbus Helicopters for the delivery of up to 18 Flexrotor Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS).
Under the agreement, Garuda will offer Flexrotor services to its customers through both dry and wet lease models. The systems will support a wide range of civil and parapublic missions, including inspection of infrastructure such as roads, railways, oil and gas pipelines, and power lines, as well as law enforcement, search operations, wildfire monitoring and disaster response.
“This collaboration with Airbus Helicopters to integrate the Flexrotor into our global leasing portfolio marks a significant milestone in our international expansion and investment strategy,” said Agnishwar Jayaprakash, Founder and CEO of Chennai-based Garuda Aerospace.
Continuing further Jayaprakash said the company expects to close the current fiscal year with a turnover of around ₹200 crore (about approximately £16.2 million) after selling approximately 2,500 drones. Overall, the company has sold about 5,000 drones to date.
“Having manufactured and sold over 5,000 drones and served more than 500 enterprise and government clients globally, we are now scaling our service offerings and expanding our global product portfolio.
With over one million flight hours, about 30 percent market share in India’s agri-drone segment, and a diversified presence across agriculture, defence and industrial sectors, the addition of the Flexrotor further strengthens our ability to deliver high-endurance, mission-critical unmanned solutions for demanding operations worldwide,” Jayaprakash said.
“The Flexrotor offers an optimal balance of payload capacity, endurance and expeditionary agility thanks to its compact footprint,” said Olivier Michalon, Executive Vice President, Global Business at Airbus Helicopters.
“We are seeing strong interest in the Flexrotor from the market for both military and civil applications. Its growth trajectory continues into 2025, and it is rewarding to see the platform increasingly trusted for critical missions worldwide,” Michalon added.
Jayaprakash said the potential market for such systems is about $5 billion. Garuda’s U.S. subsidiary, Garuda Technologies, is also expanding its operations in the North American market, with its UAS business expected to support critical missions across the energy, public services, agriculture, defence and industrial sectors.
About The Flexrotor UAS
The Flexrotor UAS is a versatile light tactical unmanned system designed for long-endurance missions and capable of carrying a range of sensors. It can operate from confined land areas and from ships without flight decks, and its expeditionary design allows it to be transported easily and deployed in less than 30 minutes.
Weighing about 25 kg (55 lb), the system is designed for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) missions and can operate for more than 12–14 hours in a typical configuration. It can integrate various payloads, including electro-optical systems and advanced sensors, to meet specific mission requirements.
The Flexrotor can autonomously launch and recover from land or sea and requires only a 3.7 m by 3.7 m (12 ft by 12 ft) area for operations, making it well suited for expeditionary missions where space is limited.
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