New Delhi: Adani Group plans to invest Rs 1.8 lakh crore next year in defence manufacturing, with a focus on strengthening capabilities in unmanned and autonomous systems as well as advanced guided weapons as it looks to play a stealth anchor role in India’s future warfare capabilities, sources said.

Adani Defence & Aerospace in 2025 transitioned from extended planning cycles to rapid deployment with some of its military hardware being used in Operation Sindoor.

Next year, it will invest in unmanned and autonomous systems, advanced guided weapons, sensors and electronics, AI-enabled multi-domain operations, and scaled-up maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) and training infrastructure, company sources said.

Autonomous systems across air, sea and land domains are unmanned platforms that use sensors, software and secure networks to operate with minimal human intervention, expanding military reach while reducing risk to personnel.

In the air, they include UAVs that conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, communications relay and precision-support missions with long endurance. At sea, unmanned surface and underwater vehicles perform tasks such as maritime surveillance, anti-submarine warfare and mine countermeasures over wide areas. On land, unmanned ground vehicles support logistics, reconnaissance, explosive ordnance disposal and perimeter security.

Adani Defence & Aerospace has emerged as India’s largest integrated private-sector defence player, with capabilities spanning unmanned aerial and underwater systems, counter-UAS solutions, guided weapons and loitering munitions, small arms and ammunition, aircraft MRO, simulator-driven training and airborne warning and control systems (AWACS).

Sources said in 2025, the company’s Drishti 10 UAVs were inducted into the Indian Navy and Army for long-endurance ISR mission (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance).

Also, its counter-drone systems cleared trials conducted by the Army, Navy and Air Force, Agnikaa loitering munitions demonstrated endurance and resistance to electronic warfare and ARKA MANPADS – a shoulder-fired missile system – achieved tri-service deployment readiness within compressed timelines.

Sources said the company’s entry into AWACS platforms helped position it as a sole private-sector player in this segment.

Integration of Air Works and Indamer created a major defence-civil MRO platform while the acquisition of FSTC strengthened pilot and engineering training capabilities, they said.

Adani Defence & Aerospace has embedded sustainability through digital twins, predictive maintenance and modular design, while higher indigenous sourcing has strengthened supply-chain resilience.

Looking ahead to 2026, the company plans to scale autonomous systems across air, sea and land domains, expand precision-strike capabilities, deepen its MRO and training footprint, and advance AI-enabled, multi-domain operational systems in line with India’s planned defence investment trajectory, sources added.