Bharat Forge and Pratt & Whitney Canada Partner for HALE UAV

Bharat Forge Ltd. and Pratt & Whitney Canada, an RTX business, have entered a collaboration to integrate advanced turboprop engines into India's indigenous high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) program. The UAV is being designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to provide long-endurance surveillance, intelligence, and reconnaissance across land and maritime domains.

Under the terms of the partnership, Pratt & Whitney Canada will evaluate engine compatibility, performance, and installation requirements. Bharat Forge will lead the engine-airframe integration, focusing on systems interfaces and installation design.

This initiative supports the Indian government's Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, which seeks to increase strategic self-reliance and indigenous aerospace and defense manufacturing capabilities. Amit Kalyani, Vice Chairman and Joint Managing Director of Bharat Forge, stated that the goal is to support the development of a world-class HALE platform to strengthen defense preparedness.