Adani-Built Drishti 10 Starliner Drone Crashes During Indian Navy Pre-Delivery Acceptance Trials off Gujarat Coast

An Adani-built Drishti 10 Starliner drone crashed off the coast of Porbandar, Gujarat, during pre-delivery acceptance trials for the Indian Navy. This incident raises concerns about the reliability and operational readiness of this advanced drone, which is already in service with the Navy and has been ordered by the Army.

The Drishti 10 Starliner, a medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), is a variant of Elbit Systems' Hermes 900 Starliner drone, built by Adani Defence and Aerospace under a technology transfer agreement. It is designed for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions and is a crucial asset for enhancing India's maritime and border security capabilities.

The crashed drone was being operated by Adani Defence and Aerospace at the time of the incident. It has since been recovered. While the exact cause of the crash remains unclear, initial reports suggest a loss of communication may have been a contributing factor. This incident comes just four months after an MQ-9B SeaGuardian drone, leased by the Indian Navy from the US, crashed into the Bay of Bengal due to a technical glitch.

The Indian Navy inducted its first Drishti 10 Starliner last year and, along with the Army, has ordered two more under emergency financial powers to bolster their ISR capabilities. Each system costs approximately ₹145 crore.

A comprehensive investigation will likely be conducted to determine the root cause of the crash, focusing on both technical aspects and operational procedures. The findings of this investigation could influence future procurement decisions, operational protocols, and even partnerships between Indian firms and international defence companies.

The crash has raised questions about the reliability of these advanced drones, particularly during crucial acceptance trials. As the Indian Navy and Army continue to expand their drone programs, it is crucial to prioritize communication reliability, improve fail-safe mechanisms, and ensure these drones can effectively serve as force multipliers in India's defence and security operations.

 

[Baiju Bhaskaran]

The drone was not handed over to Navy. It was under testing by Adani defence and Aerospace. Such things happens during testing. Some sections want to deliberately target and do hit job on Adani.

 

[Hey]

The drone was not handed over to Navy. It was under testing by Adani defence and Aerospace. Such things happens during testing. Some sections want to deliberately target and do hit job on Adani.

It was under acceptance trials for the Indian Navy, so the accident happened during trials.

People who are targeting Drishti are not just targeting it for political reasons. I hope you know the performance of Drishti vs. Tapas in Indian conditions.

The same reason for Tata Kestrel vs. Stryker.

 

[Sandeep]

It was under acceptance trials for the Indian Navy, so the accident happened during trials.

People who are targeting Drishti are not just targeting it for political reasons. I hope you know the performance of Drishti vs. Tapas in Indian conditions.

The same reason for Tata Kestrel vs. Stryker.

These drones were being tested by the navy and it crashed. So the navy hasn’t accepted it into their service or responsibility so the crash is Adani problem and loss. Also there are many people who can’t stand a rich Indian succeeding in life including many in India who politically target him.

 

[Sandeep]

Currently this isn’t the navy or Adanis fault even though he manufactures over 70% of the components except for the critical parts, components and technology mainly.

There is a major flaw with the Israeli Hermes drone that’s being noticed frequently. The 1-2 drone that has been accepted into service by the military suffer from major technology issues. They noticed that they frequently lost their satellite communication network, it has a much shorter flight range and lower flight time than what they claim it can do.

These drones were brought under the emergency procurement system which bypasses the long procurement process and it doesn’t need to be tested or put through trials. These drones were mainly bought based on whatever Israel told the military and it was accepted as a fact by the military. If they underwent vigorous and proper tests and trials then this error would have been picked up on. Hopefully they can rectify the issue but picking the Archer NG is a much better option as it can carry weapons.