In January 2026, Indian Army (IA) has placed a Rs.168 crore order with NewSpace Research & Technologies (NRT) for its Medium Altitude Persistent Surveillance System (MAPSS), a fully electric, solar‑powered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed for long‑endurance surveillance missions.
- This is for the 1st time that IA will deploy solar-powered UAVs other than the battery-powered and tethered drones that are currently in use.
- What? IA placed order for procurement of MAPSS UAV
- Supplier: NRT
- Total Cost: Rs 168 Crore
- Programme: Developed under MoD’s iDEX initiative
- Features: Solar-powered, long-endurance, GNSS-denied operations, quiet propulsion, low thermal signature
About MAPSS UAV:
Indigenous Development: The MAPSS UAV has been developed under the Ministry of Defence’s(MoD) Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) programme.
Long Endurance: It is designed to provide long-endurance Intelligence,
Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) coverage, Electronic Intelligence (ELINT), and communications relay support, particularly for border monitoring.
Key Components: These solar-powered UAVs feature a light airframe, solar recharging to enable long-endurance flights, and modular payload architecture.
Advanced Mission Autonomy: It is designed with advanced mission autonomy for operations in Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-denied zones, that reduces logistical demands, enabling continuous border patrolling, artillery spotting, or network extension in communication-denied areas.
Evade Enemy Detection: Its quiet electric propulsion and low thermal signature features minimize the enemy detection risks.
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