The ‘Varuna’ passenger drone, developed by Pune-based Sagar Defence Engineering, will be showcased at the upcoming Republic Day parade on January 26.
The indigenously developed drone will be displayed on the Indian Navy’s tableau as part of the parade. A demonstration of the Varuna drone was earlier made in New Delhi in 2022 in the presence of PM Narendra Modi. The drone has a payload capability of 130 kg and can carry a single person onboard. It will have a range of 25 km and 25-33 minutes of flight time.
Captain Nikunj Parashar, Co-founder and Managing Director, Sagar Defence Engineering, said it was a proud moment to have Varuna as a part of the Republic Parade as one of the Navy’s ‘Make In India’ initiatives and also address the IDEX Sprint Challenge.
“The main goal of this drone, Varuna is to create an indigenous technology that can be used to protect frontline soldiers on the battlefield and improve national surveillance and security,” Parashar said.
The Varuna passenger drone will be one of three indigenously developed autonomous unmanned systems on display on the Navy tableau on Republic Day.
All three autonomous unmanned systems are being developed indigenously under the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) Innovations for Defence Excellence (IDEX-Sprint) Challenge.
Also Read
Ministry Of Civil Aviation Issues Guidelines For Indigenous Drone Industry