{
  "id": 7747127,
  "title": "Bharat Forge, Pratt & Whitney join hands for India’s HALE programme: What it means for India’s UAV push",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/bharat-forge-pratt-whitney-join-hands-for-indias-hale-programme-what",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-16T08:53:14.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Live Mint",
    "slug": "live-mint",
    "url": "https://www.livemint.com/news/india/bharat-forge-pratt-whitney-join-hands-for-india-s-hale-programme-what-it-means-for-india-s-uav-push-11789544117994.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "An Indian firm and American defense company announced Tuesday a collaboration to develop India's high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) UAV, PTI reported. Bharat Forge and Pratt & Whitney Canada will examine integrating advanced turboprop engines into the HALE UAV being designed under a Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) program. The partnership combines Pratt & Whitney Canada's propulsion technology and Bharat Forge's engineering and systems integration capabilities as India seeks to expand its UAV ecosystem. The initiative aligns with India's Aatmanirbhar Bharat goal of boosting indigenous unmanned aerial vehicle development, heavy-payload logistics, and advanced strike capabilities. The collaboration focuses on the propulsion system, a crucial component of a HALE platform designed for sustained operations at high altitude. Bharat Forge Aerospace Vice Chairman and Joint Managing Director Amit Kalyani stated that the partnership aims to strengthen India's strategic self-reliance and defense preparedness by combining Pratt & Whitney's proven propulsion technologies with Bharat Forge's engineering expertise. Pratt & Whitney Canada Vice President and Country Head Ashish Saraf emphasized the reliability of turboprop engines in demanding operational environments for India's HALE program. The collaboration advances India's efforts to build a larger indigenous drone manufacturing sector and reduce reliance on imports, as seen in recent contracts with Tata Advanced Systems and NIBE, and a planned $2 billion military drone procurement from domestic firms. The push for HALE drones is driven by military standoffs with China and the need for persistent high-resolution surveillance in challenging terrains. The partnership also follows India's deployment of unmanned systems in recent military operations, such as Operation Sindoor, where drones played a crucial role in neutralizing threats.",
  "summary": "Bharat Forge and Pratt & Whitney Canada will jointly evaluate turboprop engines for DRDO's HALE UAV programme, boosting India's indigenous drone push under Atmanirbhar Bharat. The move follows India's $203mn MQ-9B lease and an expanding domestic UAV ecosystem of 600+ companies.",
  "key_points": [
    "Bharat Forge and Pratt & Whitney Canada collaborate on India's HALE UAV program.",
    "Initiative aims to integrate advanced turboprop engines into DRDO-designed HALE UAV.",
    "Collaboration strengthens India's strategic self-reliance and defense capabilities."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}