Sources said that Hermes 900 Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) drone, which has been rebranded as Drishti 10, was lost while it was being operated by its manufacturer prior to acceptance of its induction by the Indian Navy.
The Indian Navy ordered two of the long-range drones using emergency powers, with one already in service. Sources said that the second drone had recently been delivered from a manufacturing facility and was being tested as part of pre-acceptance trials. When contacted, manufacturer Adani Defence did not offer comments on the incident.
The drone is valued at around ₹145 crore but the loss will not be borne by the Navy as the system had not yet been accepted for induction. The Army too has two of the drones on order. Emergency procurement powers were given to the armed forces to build capability in the face of border aggression by China. The armed forces need several hundred drones in this category and are looking for an Indian designed and manufactured solution to meet specific requirements.
In a similar incident last September, a high-value MQ9B drone crashed in the Bay of Bengal. Taken on lease from the US, the drone carried out ditching at sea after a technical glitch that resulted in the battery getting depleted after an electrical system failure.
While MQ 9B crash also was reported to be a total loss, the Navy did not have to bear the costs as the drone had been taken on lease and was being operated by its manufacturer, General Atomics, which was asked to submit a report on the accident. A similar process is likely to be followed for Drishti 10 as well.
- For more: Elrisala website and for social networking, you can follow us on Facebook
- Source of information and images “economictimes.indiatimes”“
