Adani Group is planning to invest Rs 1.8 lakh crore in defence manufacturing next year, stepping up its push to strengthen India’s indigenous military capabilities, with a focus on unmanned and autonomous systems, advanced guided weapons and AI-enabled operations, sources said.
The planned investment signals a significant scale-up of Adani Defence & Aerospace’s role in India’s evolving defence ecosystem, as the company positions itself as a key private-sector contributor to future warfare capabilities across air, land and sea domains.
Sources said the company transitioned from extended planning cycles to rapid deployment during 2025, with some of its military hardware seeing operational use during Operation Sindoor, marking a shift from development to field-level integration.
The investment roadmap for 2026 includes expansion in unmanned and autonomous platforms, advanced sensors and electronics, precision-guided weapons, and artificial intelligence-driven multi-domain operational systems. The group also plans to scale up maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities and training infrastructure.
Autonomous systems, a central focus of the investment, are designed to operate with minimal human intervention using secure networks, sensors and software. In aerial operations, such platforms include unmanned aerial vehicles capable of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, communications relay and precision-support missions over long durations.
In the maritime domain, unmanned surface and underwater vehicles are used for surveillance, anti-submarine warfare and mine countermeasures, while land-based unmanned ground vehicles support logistics, reconnaissance, explosive ordnance disposal and perimeter security.
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Adani Defence & Aerospace has emerged as India’s largest integrated private-sector defence player, with capabilities spanning unmanned aerial and underwater systems, counter-UAS solutions, guided weapons, loitering munitions, small arms and ammunition, aircraft MRO, simulator-driven training, and airborne warning and control systems.
During 2025, the company’s Drishti 10 unmanned aerial vehicles were inducted into the Indian Navy and the Army for long-endurance intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, sources said.
Its counter-drone systems successfully cleared trials conducted by the Army, Navy and Air Force, while Agnikaa loitering munitions demonstrated endurance and resistance to electronic warfare. ARKA MANPADS, a shoulder-fired missile system, achieved tri-service deployment readiness within compressed timelines.
Sources said the company’s entry into airborne warning and control systems positioned it as the sole private-sector player in this strategic segment.
The integration of Air Works and Indamer created a major defence-civil MRO platform, while the acquisition of FSTC strengthened pilot and engineering training capabilities, further expanding the group’s footprint in sustainment and skilling.
Adani Defence & Aerospace has also embedded sustainability and resilience into its manufacturing processes through digital twins, predictive maintenance and modular design, while higher indigenous sourcing has strengthened domestic supply chains.
Looking ahead to 2026, the company plans to further scale autonomous systems across domains, expand precision-strike capabilities, deepen its MRO and training presence, and advance AI-enabled, multi-domain operations aligned with India’s long-term defence investment trajectory, sources added.
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