The Indian Navy is progressing a major infrastructure project at INS Rajali in Arakkonam to support High Altitude Long Endurance Remotely Piloted Aircraft operations, creating dedicated facilities for the expanding HALE drone capability of the service.
Official Ministry of Defence procurement records show that the Military Engineer Services has floated a ₹122 crore project for the “Provision of Technical Infrastructure and Associated Facilities for Day One Ops of HALE RPA at INS Rajali, Arakkonam.” The tender has now progressed through technical and financial evaluation stages, placing the project closer to execution.
₹122 Crore Infrastructure Project at INS Rajali
The project is being handled through the Engineer-in-Chief Branch of the Military Engineer Services under the Chief Engineer Navy, Visakhapatnam. The official tender carries reference number 88758 and identifies INS Rajali at Arakkonam, Tamil Nadu, as the project location.
The estimated tender value is ₹122 crore, while the stipulated completion period is 730 days. The procurement is structured as an open, lump-sum works contract covering technical infrastructure and associated facilities required for the initial operational deployment of HALE remotely piloted aircraft.
The tender was originally published on December 10, 2025. After a series of corrigenda and extensions, bid submission closed on July 14, 2026, with bid opening scheduled for July 21. The Ministry of Defence eProcurement portal now shows that technical bid opening, technical evaluation, financial bid opening and financial evaluation have been reached in the procurement process.
Infrastructure Specifically Intended for HALE RPA Operations
The wording of the official tender is significant because it specifically describes the project as infrastructure for “Day One Ops of HALE RPA.” This indicates that the facilities are intended to support operational deployment rather than functioning merely as a general airfield upgrade.
Operating a sophisticated HALE remotely piloted aircraft requires considerably more infrastructure than a conventional small UAV detachment. Such platforms depend on specialised maintenance areas, ground-support equipment, communication systems, mission-support facilities, power infrastructure and secure technical spaces capable of sustaining long-duration aviation operations.
The scale of the ₹122 crore project reflects the complexity associated with establishing such a capability at a major naval aviation base.
INS Rajali and India’s MQ-9B Programme
The infrastructure development comes as India moves ahead with its MQ-9B programme. The Ministry of Defence signed a contract with the United States Government in October 2024 Rajalifor the Tri-Service procurement of 31 MQ-9B SkyGuardian and SeaGuardian HALE remotely piloted aircraft systems.
The original approved configuration comprised 16 MQ-9B SkyGuardian aircraft and 15 MQ-9B SeaGuardian aircraft. The SeaGuardian variant is intended for maritime operations and is particularly relevant to the Indian Navy’s requirement for persistent surveillance over the Indian Ocean Region.
The MQ-9B is designed for long-endurance intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions and can remain airborne for extended periods while carrying advanced electro-optical, radar and electronic surveillance payloads.
Indian Navy Expands SeaGuardian Capability
The Navy’s MQ-9B ecosystem expanded further in August 2026 when the Ministry of Defence signed an approximately ₹1,943 crore contract with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems for the lease of two MQ-9B SeaGuardian HALE RPAS for 30 months.
According to the Ministry, the aircraft are equipped with advanced sensors and sophisticated payloads intended to strengthen Maritime Domain Awareness and provide persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance coverage across large areas of the maritime domain.
The leased aircraft are separate from the larger 31-aircraft acquisition programme, but their induction gives the Navy additional operational experience with the SeaGuardian platform while the permanent fleet is being introduced.
Why INS Rajali Is Important to Naval Aviation
INS Rajali is one of the Indian Navy’s major aviation bases and is located at Arakkonam in Tamil Nadu. Its long runway and established aviation infrastructure make it suitable for supporting large maritime surveillance and long-endurance aviation platforms.
Developing purpose-built HALE RPA facilities there would add unmanned long-endurance surveillance capability to an air station already positioned to support naval aviation across the Bay of Bengal and the wider Indian Ocean Region.
HALE aircraft can remain on station far longer than conventional crewed aircraft, allowing persistent monitoring of shipping routes, maritime approaches and areas of operational interest. Their endurance also enables the Navy to maintain surveillance coverage while conserving manned aircraft for missions where crewed platforms are most effective.
Building the Ground Network Behind Long-Endurance Drones
The effectiveness of a HALE drone fleet depends as much on its ground infrastructure as on the aircraft themselves. Aircraft shelters, maintenance facilities, communication links, ground-control support, power systems, secure technical areas and logistics infrastructure collectively determine how reliably such systems can generate operational sorties.
The INS Rajali project therefore represents more than a civil-works programme. It forms part of the physical architecture required to sustain India’s emerging generation of long-endurance remotely piloted aircraft.
Together with the acquisition of 31 MQ-9B aircraft and the Navy’s continuing operational experience with the SeaGuardian, development of dedicated HALE infrastructure at INS Rajali strengthens the foundation for persistent maritime surveillance and expands India’s ability to maintain awareness across the Indian Ocean Region.
References
Ministry of Defence eProcurement System — Tender ID 2025_MES_743972_1, Provision of Technical Infrastructure and Associated Facilities for Day One Ops of HALE RPA at INS Rajali, Arakkonam
https://defproc.gov.in/nicgep/app?component=%24DirectLink&page=FrontEndViewTender&service=direct&sp=Sp7mW5Sw0h%2FmxwS69ITW6oA%3D%3D
Ministry of Defence eProcurement System — Tender Status, Reference No. 88758
https://defproc.gov.in/nicgep/app?component=view&page=WebTenderStatusLists&service=direct&sp=Sp7mW5Sw0h%2FmxwS69ITW6oA%3D%3D
Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Defence — Major Defence Contracts and MQ-9B Procurement, 2024
https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2088180
Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Defence — Acquisition of 31 MQ-9B HALE RPAS
https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1935160
Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Defence — Contract for Lease of Two MQ-9B SeaGuardian HALE RPAS for Indian Navy, August 17, 2026
https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2300388
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