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At the heart of the technology is a sapphire optical panel carrying a thin coating engineered to improve the transmission of infrared radiation while retaining the durability required for demanding aeronautical applications.
The facility, inaugurated on August 24, 2026, represents Dhaksha’s next stage of expansion as it scales its presence across agriculture, defence and enterprise unmanned systems. The company intends to use the new site for larger and increasingly complex UAV programmes while bringing research, manufacturing, integration and operational capabilities into a more closely connected industrial environment.
The latest development, reported on indicates that negotiations are approaching the Inter-Governmental Agreement stage. The planned acquisition has reportedly expanded significantly since India and the UK first formally announced their intention to proceed with the procurement in October 2025.
The requirement originated under the Ministry of Defence’s Defence India Startup Challenge-4, launched through Innovations for Defence Excellence in September 2020. The project seeks a non-invasive monitoring system capable of functioning during extended fighter flying while also generating physiological data for aeromedical research.
Aravalli has been selected to power HAL’s planned 13-tonne Indian Multi-Role Helicopter (IMRH) and its naval derivative, the Deck-Based Multi-Role Helicopter (DBMRH). These platforms are being developed to provide the Indian Armed Forces with a new generation of medium-lift helicopters capable of performing troop transport, air assault, logistics, search-and-rescue and other demanding missions. The naval DBMRH is intended to extend the concept to shipborne operations for the Indian Navy.
The trial was conducted on August 26, 2026, with test jumpers from DRDO’s Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE), Agra, executing a jump from 22,000 feet above mean sea level while temperatures were around minus 15 degrees Celsius.
DRDO has initiated procurement of consultancy services covering detailed engineering, design drawings and soil investigation for the proposed facility. The current tender was published on August 6, 2026, marking an important preparatory step towards establishing the specialised wind-tunnel infrastructure at RCI.
The BRUTE-TLH is the logistics configuration of Gridbots’ larger BRUTE 6×6 unmanned ground vehicle platform, which has been designed and manufactured in India for defence and homeland-security applications. The company’s currently published technical specifications list a 250 kg direct-loading payload capacity for the Tactical Load Hauler configuration.
Astra integration on Rafale already has an established industrial foundation. In October 2022, Bharat Dynamics Limited and Dassault Aviation signed a memorandum of understanding covering the integration of Indian weapon systems, including Astra, on the Rafale platform. The agreement created a formal basis for adapting indigenous missiles to the French fighter.
The programme is being pursued through DRDO’s Technology Development Fund, which encourages Indian companies, particularly MSMEs and technology enterprises, to develop critical capabilities required by the country’s defence and strategic sectors.
