On 8 July 2026 an Indian Navy Drishti-10 unmanned aerial vehicle crashed near Porbandar airfield in Gujarat during a routine training sortie; a Board of Inquiry has been ordered and wreckage recovered for technical examination.
Incident Overview
- Location: Dharampur village, ~6 km from Porbandar, Saurashtra region, Gujarat.
- Date: 8 July 2026.
- Casualties: No reported injuries or loss of life on the ground.
- Recovery: Wreckage retrieved; security agencies conducting technical examination.
Platform Specifications
- Gross weight: 1,100 kg.
- Payload capacity: 450 kg.
- Wingspan: 15 m.
- Length: 8.3 m.
Design, Manufacture and Role
- Type: Hermes-900-based MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance) UAV.
- Manufacture: Licence-manufactured by Adani Defence & Aerospace at Hyderabad in partnership with Elbit Systems (Israel).
- Role: ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) with long endurance, advanced sensors and all-weather capability.
Investigation and Precedent
- Probe scope: BoI to examine technical malfunction, communication-link loss or other system failures.
- Previous mishap: Jan 2025 Drishti-10 crash off Porbandar coast during Army pre-acceptance trials; reported lost communication link.
IASPOINT Booster Facts
- MALE definition: Medium Altitude Long Endurance denotes sustained operations at medium altitudes for extended durations.
- UAV terminology: Platform classed as UAV (also used as UAS — unmanned aerial system when including ground control and datalinks).
- Industry link: Local licence production involves technology transfer and local assembly in India.