- Bengaluru-headquartered BEML said on Friday it would collaborate with IIT-Kanpur for joint indigenous development of pilotless target aircraft (PTA) and tactical unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
- Both the organisations would synergize respective capabilities and undertake feasibility study, design and development, testing, and validation of tactical UAVs and PTA, BEML said in a statement.
- “The jointly developed products will substitute the currently imported UAVs and PTA and aims to achieve self- reliance at a reduced cost,” it said.
- This, it said, would also help foster innovation and technology development in defence and aerospace by engaging various industries, including MSMEs, start-ups, individual innovators, R&D institutes, and academia.
- “This will enable BEML to achieve a quantum jump in defence and aerospace business and provide a big thrust in ‘Atmanirbharta’ in the defence sector. The potential customers will constitute the armed forces, paramilitary and civilian,” the statement said.
- Also, BEML announced that it is teaming up with NASSCOM CoE (Centre of Excellence) for artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT)-related areas.
- This tie-up aims at technical support for the implementation of AI and IoT in BEML products and to set up an incubation centre for start-ups, it stated.
- BEML’s MoUs with IIT-Kanpur and NASSCOM was signed in the virtual presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, among others, the statement added.
