The Indian Navy has launched an investigation following the crash of a Drishti 10 UAV last Wednesday. This marks the second such incident involving the platform in under two years.

The UAV, a licensed Indian version of the Elbit Hermes 900 Starliner built by the Adani Group, came down during a training mission close to Drampar village in Gujarat near the Navy aviation facility.

Adani Group and Elbit Systems confirmed awareness of the reports but stated it would be premature to discuss possible causes behind the reported mishandling. They noted the platform has been in service with the Indian Navy since induction and they lack details on the specific mission at the time of the event.

The companies added they are coordinating with authorities and stand ready to supply all required technical support for the ongoing assessment.

The Starliner represents an expanded variant of the Hermes 900 designed for operations along civilian air routes and within standard airspace. It has seen extensive use by the Air Force during operations against Iran and has been exported to Switzerland and the Philippines at a unit cost exceeding 10 million dollars.

Pride of India defense manufacturing

The Hermes 900 stands as a point of national pride in India as the first medium-altitude long-endurance UAV produced domestically. This aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasis on acquiring combat systems manufactured locally even when developed with foreign partners.

Sixty percent of components originate in India while the remainder come from Israel. The aircraft role against China and Pakistan remains central though India has not confirmed whether it carries weapons or focuses solely on surveillance and reconnaissance.

The drone offers up to 36 hours of continuous flight time with capacity for a 450 kg payload and a service ceiling of 30,000 feet.

Adani Group confirmed the aircraft has been operational with the Indian Navy since handover in 2024 and pledged full cooperation in the investigation.