Raghu Vamsi Expands Defence Manufacturing with ‘Arrobot’

Hyderabad, India – In a strong boost to India’s defence manufacturing ecosystem, Raghu Vamsi Aerospace Group announced the launch of a new DeepTech design, production, and integration facility while unveiling six indigenous UAV and autonomous defence products developed entirely in India. The dual announcement strengthens India’s drive for self-reliance in unmanned and next-gen defence systems, backed by an investment of over INR 100 crore in new manufacturing and technology development.

Raghu Vamsi Aerospace Group, with 10 manufacturing locations across three countries and more than 1,000 employees, has been supplying aero engines and missile subsystems for global OEMs, and Indian DPSUs have newly announced the Citadel Campus at Hardware Park, near Hyderabad International Airport, building on its foundation by adding large-scale infrastructure for design, system integration, assembly, and testing. This new facility strengthens the Group’s ability to support Indian strategic programs and global customers with faster turnaround times and scalable production.

Alongside the infrastructure announcement, Raghu Vamsi introduced six new defence products representing India’s expanding technological footprint in autonomous systems. These include jet-powered loitering munitions, decoy drones, target drones, tethered surveillance drones, air-based missile launchers, micro turbojet engines, long endurance kamikaze UAVs, UGVs, autonomous ground combat systems, and robotic aircraft maintenance solutions, covering surveillance, deep strike, battlefield logistics, and mission support. The products will exceed a range of 300 km with speeds up to 650 kmph. The new product line, including RV Astra, RV Maya, RV Lakshya, RV Rudra, RV Indra, RV Yodha, and RV Drishti, highlights India’s shift from being a buyer of UAV and propulsion technologies to a nation capable of designing and manufacturing future-ready unmanned systems at scale.

The Group is consolidating its capabilities to accelerate India’s defence exports and meet the increasing demand for indigenous unmanned and propulsion systems, with four MoUs signed respectively, including a strategic MoU with the 515 Army Base Workshop of the Indian Army for the co-design, development, testing and validation of advanced drone platforms and associated system, under which ARROBOT will support the Workshop in becoming the system integrator for establishing and operationalizing dedicated drone manufacturing facilities within its premises; a second MoU with Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) for co-development and supply of fully indigenized 200 kgf thrust-class engines to power next-generation autonomous fighter-aircraft platforms, marking a major milestone in India’s journey toward self-reliance in high-performance propulsion; a third MoU with IIIT Hyderabad for the co-development of advanced AI-based autonomy, intelligent perception, swarm intelligence and mission systems to accelerate smart UAV development for defence applications; and a forth MoU with ARCI for collaborative development of laser cladding, additive manufacturing, and thermal barrier coating applications in advancing new aero engine technologies; collectively strengthening India’s technology readiness and production capability in unmanned systems.

The launch event was attended by some of the most distinguished leaders from India’s defence and scientific community; among the dignitaries present were Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan, AVSM, NM Vice Chief of the Naval Staff, Indian Navy; Commodore A Madhavarao (Retd), CMD, Bharat Dynamics Ltd; Maj Gen Shivendra Kumar, VSM, ADG–EME, Indian Army; Dr G Satheesh Reddy, Former Scientific Advisor to Raksha Mantri and Former Chairman, DRDO; Lt Gen Vinod G Khandare, PVSM, AVSM, SM, Principal Advisor, Ministry of Defence; Ajit Rangnekar, Director, Research and Innovation Circle of Hyderabad (RICH); Praveen P A, Director – Aerospace, Government of Telangana; Prof Ramesh Loganathan, Dean, IIIT Hyderabad; Dr R Vijay, Director, ARCI; and Dr BHVS Narayana Murthy, Vice Chancellor, Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT). Their presence underscored the relevance of the new plant and UAV product line to India’s long-term roadmap for indigenous defence technologies, deep-tech innovation, and capability consolidation across the armed forces and national research institutions.

Commenting on the expansion, Vamsi Vikas, Founder and Managing Director, Raghu Vamsi Aerospace Group, said that the facility and product lineup reflect the confidence with which India is now shaping its aerospace future. He stated, “This investment is about more than building capacity; it is about building core defence technologies in India. We are developing systems that are globally benchmarked and engineered for the next era of warfare, utilizing homegrown talent. India is ready not only to meet domestic defence needs but also to emerge as a global supplier of high-technology aerospace systems.”

Strengthening India’s strategic depth in aerospace technology, Raghu Vamsi is reinforcing the country’s position as one of the world’s fastest-advancing defence manufacturing destinations.

Image Source: Raghu Vamsi Aerospace Group