JSW Group partners with US tech firm Shield AI to manufacture unmanned aerial system

JSW Group on Tuesday said it has partnered with US-based defence tech company Shield AI, Inc to manufacture unmanned aerial system (UAS) and plans to invest USD 90 million in the domestic defence sector over the next two years. This collaboration marks a significant step in boosting India's defence capabilities by bringing world-class UAS technology to the country, JSW Group said in a statement.

The group has entered into a partnership through its arm JSW Defence Pvt Ltd "to indigenise and manufacture Shield AI's V-BAT, a Group 3 Unmanned Aerial System (UAS)". As part of the partnership, JSW Group said it will invest around USD 90 million in the defence sector over the next two years, with USD 65 million allocated in the first 12 months.

The investment will enable the group to establish a local supply chain and create an advanced facility in India for manufacturing, assembling and testing V-BAT aircraft. The V-BAT is a fixed-wing, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL), long endurance intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) platform, currently deployed by multiple armed forces around the world, including the US Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs).

"Through this partnership, we will be able to supply indigenous V-BATs at scale, provide flight operator training, and end-to-end maintenance, repair & overhaul (MRO) services to the Indian Armed Forces," Parth Jindal of JSW Group said. It will serve the needs of the Indian Armed Forces and also function as a global production hub for Shield AI.

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