Tamil Nadu UAV Corporation set to fly farther

Chennai: With several orders pouring in for the State-owned Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Corporation (TNUAVC), the Tamil Nadu government has decided to invest more in the firm to increase production.

TNUAVC was launched in January 2021 under the initiative of the Higher Education Department, with an initial share capital of Rs 10 crore. Now, with more than 70 drone orders, it has been decided that the company as well as production needs expansion.

A senior official from the Department told DT Next that the government has decided to invest another Rs 5 crore. “Initially, TNUAVC was producing surveillance drones. However, there have been enquiries and orders for other types of drone-based services like agricultural pesticide spraying, spy activities, mapping, search and rescue, volumetric analysis for the user department,” the official said.

Stating that the Greater Chennai Corporation through solutions, services and products to various agencies will generate employment opportunities in TN, the official said TNUAVC has already deployed drones for the civic body to spray larvicide on major water bodies of Chennai. “It was in the process of supplying agriculture sprayer drone to Krishi Vigyan Kendra in Tamil Nadu Agricultural University,” he added.

The official further said that a majority of 50 drones have been ordered for the Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services, delivery drones for the coastal security group and Tamil Nadu police.

He said after the expansion and as per enquiries, the Corporation will also provide drone-based solutions and services to municipal administration departments, urban development, health, forestry, archaeology and environmental studies, undertaken by various state-owned agencies.

“Authorities were also planning to showcase the finished products at the national and international level expo. Moreover, research and development activities will also be carried out in TNUAVC to compete with international markets,” he said.

Additional investment will be used to procure high-tech equipment to develop drone-related services with faster movement, the official said.