Overview
- Construction has begun at JSW Defence’s 16-acre unmanned aerial systems facility at the EMC in Maheshwaram, Telangana.
- The plant will manufacture Shield AI’s Group 3 V-BAT fixed-wing VTOL ISR drones under a long-term transfer-of-technology agreement.
- JSW targets the start of local manufacturing by the last quarter of 2026 after an initial import of eight systems under an emergency route handled directly by Shield AI.
- The site is planned for capacity of up to 300 V-BATs per year with integrated production, testing and MRO operations and is projected to create over 300 skilled jobs.
- The project forms part of JSW’s Rs 1,200 crore defence push, including about Rs 320 crore earmarked for technology transfer and compliance and training investments.