Vayuvya Defence, a Bangalore-based firm founded by former DRDO engineers, unveiled the Garuda Mk1 Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAV on December 14, 2025, at the Bengaluru Tech Summit, advancing India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat push in defense aviation. This indigenous platform, featuring a lightweight composite airframe of carbon fibre reinforced polymers, enables over 24-hour endurance flights at 15,000-25,000 feet, ideal for persistent ISR missions along the LAC with China and LoC with Pakistan. Equipped with modular payloads up to 150 kg—including EO/IR gimbals, SAR for all-weather mapping, and AI-driven data fusion via secure SATCOM—its fly-by-wire system with anti-jamming tech ensures reliability in GPS-denied environments, reducing import dependence and supporting border security, counter-insurgency, and maritime surveillance. Initial trials occurred at Chitradurga’s Aeronautical Test Range, with serial production eyed for 2027 through HAL partnerships, rivaling global peers at lower costs.​