L&T signs pact with US firm for unmanned aircraft systems

New Delhi: Infrastructure major Larsen & Toubro (L&T) on Friday said that it has entered into a strategic pact with US-based Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) for manufacturing unmanned aircraft systems for the Indian Army.Under the partnership, both the firms will together manufacture Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) in India. L&T's engineering, precision manufacturing and system integration capabilities in defence and aerospace and GA-ASI operational expertise will be utilised in this strategic pact. "Under this partnership, L&T will participate in the upcoming 87 MALE RPAS programme of the Ministry of Defence, where L&T will be the prime bidder and GA-ASI the technology partner," the infrastructure major said in a filing to the BSE. The collaboration will enable the production of GA-ASI's MQ-series RPAS that are combat proven. These are widely operational across the globe with millions of flight hours in surveillance and strike missions, it said.