Dhaksha Unmanned Systems bags Rs 165 crore order for defence and agri drones

Hyderabad: Coromandel International’s subsidiary, Dhaksha Unmanned Systems, a leading Indian drone manufacturer, has bagged an order to supply 200 medium altitude logistics drones and accessories to the Indian Army. Recently, Dhaksha has also bagged a 400-drone contract from agri inputs cooperative IFFCO for supply of agri-spraying drones. These are planned to be delivered over the course of next 12 months. Dhaksha’s orders for the current year have exceeded 165 crores including the order from Defence and IFFCO. The company also has a strong order pipeline which will further increase the potential revenues for the current year.

The company has a technology collaboration with Anna University and is the only player in the country to receive type certificates from DGCA for three drone models in medium and small categories for agriculture and surveillance applications.

Commenting about the recent developments, Arun Alagappan, Executive Vice Chairman of Coromandel International said, "The defence contract validates Dhaksha’s technology capability and its potential to capture opportunities in Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) space. This enables entry of Coromandel and Murugappa Group into Indian Defence sector supplies. We are excited to partner and support Dhaksha and drive the Atma Nirbhar Bharat vision in Drones manufacturing.”

Ramanathan Narayanan, CEO of Dhaksha Unmanned Systems said "We are honoured to be selected by the Indian Army to supply our logistics drones. This is a major milestone and is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team. We are committed to build latest technologies for drone manufacturing and cater to requirements of defence sector as well as the farming community of the country."

Dhaksha, incorporated in 2019, is a leading player in the drone space in India, provides a complete range of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) technology solutions for different applications covering agriculture, defence, surveillance and delivery, amongst others. Based out of Chennai, the company has over the years developed expertise in drone R&D, testing, manufacturing, and customer support. In addition to having developed capability to manufacture battery-operated drones, Dhaksha is the only company in India to manufacture petrol engine-based drones. It also offers Remote Pilot training services in partnership with Anna University. The company had been shortlisted under the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for drone manufacturing.

Coromandel International Limited is amongst India's pioneers and leading Agri solutions provider, offering diverse products and services across the farming value chain. It operates in two major segments: Nutrient and other allied businesses and Crop Protection. These include Fertiliser, Crop Protection, Bio Products, Specialty Nutrients and Organic businesses. The Company is 2nd largest manufacturer and marketer of Phosphatic fertiliser in India. The Company's Crop Protection products are marketed in India as well as in international geographies, offering wide range of technical and formulation products. The Specialty Nutrients business of the Company focuses on water soluble fertiliser and secondary & micronutrients segments. The Company is leading marketer of Organic fertiliser in India. The Bio Products business of the company focusses on plant extractions for various applications. It also operates a network of around 750+ rural retail outlets across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka. Through these Retail outlets, the Company offers farming services including crop advisory, soil testing and farm mechanization to around 3 million farmers. The Company has a strong R&D and Regulatory setup, supporting the businesses in process development and new product introduction. The Company has 18 manufacturing facilities, producing wide range of Nutrient and Crop Protection products, which are marketed through an extensive network of dealers and its own retail centers.

The Company clocked a turnover of Rs.29,799 Crores during FY22-23. Its efforts towards environment have been well recognized by international organizations like UNDP and has also been voted as one of the ten greenest companies in India by TERI. Coromandel is a part of the INR 742 billion (INR 74,220 Crores) of the Murugappa Group.

For more details, visit https://www.coromandel.biz/

About Murugappa Group

Founded in 1900, the INR 742 Billion (INR 74,220 Crores) Murugappa Group is one of India's leading business conglomerates. The Group has ten listed Companies traded in NSE & BSE. Headquartered in Chennai, the major Companies of the Group include Carborundum Universal Ltd., CG Power and Industrial Solutions Ltd., Cholamandalam Financial Holdings Ltd., Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Company Ltd., Cholamandalam MS General Insurance Company Ltd., Coromandel International Ltd., Coromandel Engineering Company Ltd., E.I.D. Parry (India) Ltd., Parry Agro Industries Ltd., Shanthi Gears Ltd., Tube Investments of India Ltd. and Wendt (India) Ltd.

The Group’s businesses hold leadership positions in several product lines including Abrasives, Technical Ceramics, Electro Minerals, Auto Components & Systems, Power Conversion Equipment, Transformers & Reactors for the Power T&D segment, Solutions for Railways in Rolling Stock & Signalling Equipment, Bicycles, Fertilisers, Sugar, Tea and Spirulina (Nutraceuticals). The Group has forged strong alliances with leading international companies such as Groupe Chimique Tunisien, Foskor, Mitsui Sumitomo, Morgan Advanced Materials, Yanmar & Co. and Compagnie Des Phosphat De Gafsa (CPG). The Group’s businesses serve customers across the length and breadth of India and in over 50 countries.

Renowned brands like BSA, Hercules, Montra, Mach City, Ballmaster, Ajax, Rhodius, Parry’s, Chola, Gromor, Shanthi Gears and Paramfos are from the Murugappa stable. The Group fosters an environment of professionalism and has a workforce of over 73,000 employees.

For more details, visit https://www.murugappa.com/