By A Correspondent

New Delhi: In a major leap towards round-the-clock border vigilance, the Indian Army has placed an INR 168-crore order with Bengaluru-based startup NewSpace Research & Technologies (NSRT) for its Medium Altitude Persistent Surveillance System (MAPSS), a fully electric, solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

The induction marks the first time India’s armed forces will deploy solar-powered surveillance drones, moving beyond conventional battery-operated and tethered UAVs currently in service.

The procurement reflects a decisive shift in India’s warfare strategy; prioritising persistence, endurance, and reduced logistics across its vast and challenging borders.

Designed to remain airborne for extended durations without frequent landings or refuelling, MAPSS gives the Army a continuous “eye in the sky” over terrains ranging from the high Himalayas to the deserts of Rajasthan, while minimising detection through quiet electric propulsion and low thermal signatures.

Crucially, the contract has its origins in the Defence Ministry’s Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) programme, highlighting the growing confidence of the armed forces in indigenous startups to deliver next-generation combat technologies through purely local research and development.

For NSRT, founded by Indian Air Force veteran Sameer Joshi along with Julius Amrit and Dilip Chabria, the order represents a validation of years of focused R&D.

“This validates years of focused R&D at NSRT, building cutting-edge capabilities that rival global standards for next-generation warfare applications,” Joshi was quoted as saying by the Indian media, underscoring the strategic importance of the breakthrough.

Technologically, MAPSS is an evolution of NSRT’s ongoing solar-powered High Altitude Pseudo Satellite (HAPS) programme.

Supported by iDEX grants, NSRT’s prototypes have already set national endurance benchmarks, including flights exceeding 27 hours at altitudes above 26,000 feet and another surpassing 24 hours under challenging weather conditions.

Conducted at the Aeronautical Test Range in Chitradurga, these trials demonstrated reliable solar energy harvesting even on low-sunlight days, an essential requirement for persistent surveillance missions.

According to Defence Ministry officials, MAPSS was adapted for medium-altitude roles after successful operational capability demonstrations in high-altitude areas with the Indian Army.

The platform is designed to deliver long-endurance intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), electronic intelligence (ELINT), and communications relay support.

Its modular payloads, lightweight construction, and advanced mission autonomy enable operations even in GNSS-denied environments, making it particularly relevant for contested border regions.

Strategically, the Army sees MAPSS as a force multiplier. By reducing logistical demands in remote and infrastructure-poor areas, the system allows continuous overwatch for border patrols, artillery spotting, and communication network extension.

Rather than replacing existing medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) drones, MAPSS will complement them by providing networked ISR at forward formations, enhancing battlefield awareness at the tactical edge.

The deal is also a significant milestone for iDEX, launched in 2018 to bridge the gap between innovators and the armed forces.

Incubated under iDEX since its early days, NSRT has already delivered 100 heterogeneous swarm drones to the Army in 2023 under fast-track procurement, making India one of the first nations to operationalise high-density swarms.

More recently, it has supplied tethered surveillance systems and is developing advanced platforms such as the Abhimanyu collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) for the Indian Navy.

Beyond NSRT, India’s solar-powered UAV ecosystem is rapidly maturing. The full-scale iDEX HAPS, contracted for the Navy with deliveries expected around 2027, aims for stratospheric operations with multi-day endurance.

Parallel efforts by CSIR-NAL have also demonstrated solar HAPS prototypes, while Veda Aeronautics is pursuing a transfer of technology route to compete for the Indian Air Force’s HAPS requirements.

The MAPSS induction fits into a broader drone-driven transformation of Indian military doctrine. The Army has inducted loitering munitions, kamikaze, and surveillance drones worth over INR 5,000 crore post Operation Sindoor, with domestic firms playing a central role.

Additional procurements worth INR 3,000 crore were approved by the Defence Acquisition Council in late 2025, and a massive INR 20,000 crore fast-track drone procurement is expected in 2026.

As the global UAV market heads towards a projected USD 45 billion valuation by 2030, India’s move towards solar-powered persistent platforms signals not just technological ambition, but a clear doctrinal shift towards endurance-led, networked warfare where the sun itself becomes a strategic asset.

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