Navy Drishti-10 Starliner UAV Crash Near Porbandar
Why in the news
A Navy unmanned aircraft of the Drishti-10 Starliner type came down near Porbandar on 8 July 2026. Nobody was hurt, and an inquiry board was set up to find the cause.
Key facts
- Incident: aircraft came down close to Porbandar on 8 July 2026, with zero casualties and a Board of Inquiry ordered.
- Operator: INAS 343 ‘Frontier Formidables’, based at Porbandar and commissioned in January 2024.
- Loss history: the second Hermes-900 loss inside 18 months; in January 2025 an earlier one ditched in the Arabian Sea.
About the Drishti-10
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Origin | Locally built variant of the Hermes-900 MALE UAV designed by Israel’s Elbit Systems |
| Manufacturer | Adani Defence, at Hyderabad, Telangana |
| Endurance | 36 hours |
| Payload | About 450 kg |
| Cost | About ₹140 crore per unit |
Exam angle
- Squadron name and number: INAS 343 ‘Frontier Formidables’.
- Type: MALE (medium-altitude long-endurance) UAV; parent design Hermes-900.
- Manufacturer and location: Adani Defence, Hyderabad.