FWDA signs pact with Portugal firm to produce Kaal Bhairava, YAMA drones

Flying Wedge Defence & Aerospace (FWDA), a Bengaluru-based AI warfare company, has entered into a partnership with Keydef, the defence and aerospace division of Portuguese firm Sketchpixel, to manufacture their unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Portugal for international markets. The agreement was signed at Keydef's facilities in Braga, with India's Ambassador to Portugal, Puneet Roy Kundal, in attendance. The collaboration includes an initial investment of 6 million euros from Keydef in FWDA's technologies.

Suhas Tejaskanda, the CEO of FWDA, stated that Portugal serves as a natural entry point for bringing Indian engineering to Europe. The partnership aims to expand FWDA's aerospace technology presence in Portugal, combining industrial capability, AI expertise, and research collaborations. The agreement covers the production of FWDA's entire product line, including surveillance systems, air defence, and civilian applications such as precision agriculture.

Keydef's CEO, Miguel Abreu, emphasized that the partnership transforms their trust-based relationship into a manufacturing operation. Together, the companies will produce systems that will be sold globally. Additionally, FWDA is partnering with Sketchpixel/Keydef to develop some electronic components and artificial intelligence (AI) for their devices.

As part of the collaboration, FWDA is working with the University of Minho on the development of a long-duration unmanned aircraft capable of achieving 100 hours of autonomy.