IG Defence expects to conclude deals this financial year while also competing for Indian military requirements for 1,000-km-class kamikaze drones.
New Delhi Odisha-based startup IG Defence is at an “advanced stage” of discussions with multiple Gulf countries to export ‘KAL’, a one-way, long-range, indigenously developed attack drone that has become a strategic standoff weapon in modern warfare, as famously demonstrated by Iranian Shahed-class unmanned systems during the war with the US and Israel.“We are at an advanced stage of active talks with multiple Gulf countries and expect to close some of these conversations in this financial year itself,” sources in the IG Defence told businessline.“We expect orders in good numbers and wish to export some consignments, if the deal goes through, from this financial year onwards,” sources said without getting into details, which they noted were confidential till negotiations get over.The global interest in KAL stems from its strategic capability for deep-penetration missions against high-value targets, its range, and its cost-effectiveness, sources noted.The Gulf countries, facing the brunt of the Iran-US-Israel war, and other strategic regions are investing in autonomous strike capabilities to respond to Tehran’s aggression.Domestic orders and global capability comparisonIG Defence, however, is also participating in tenders to meet the requirement for 1000-plus km-range kamikaze drones for the Indian armed forces. Besides, they have already supplied 5,000 FPV drones and expect repeat orders from them.KAL, according to the company, is a long-range, one-way attack UAV, possessed by only three other countries. Apart from Shahed-136 drones of Iran, Russia has Geran-2 and the USA also possess more or less similar capabilities.While the airframe remains the same across all variants of this class available globally -- delta wing, pusher propeller -- carrying payload capacity and range differ, if broad parameters are compared.Compared based on publicly available information, KAL can take off with a 50 kg warhead, Shahed-136 between 20 and 50 kg, Geran-2 between 50 and 90 kg, and Lucas 20 kg. Similarly, KAL’s range is 1000 km, while Shaheed-136 can range from 1000 km to 2,500 km; Geran-2 can also strike a target up to 2,500 km away,, and Lucas has a minimum range of 600 km.All of them can be launched from rail or truck launchers, but Lucas can take off only from rail launchers.Made-in-India platform with export ambitionsThe indigenous platform integrates long endurance, autonomous navigation, and precision targeting into a cost-effective solution designed to meet the evolving requirements of modern warfare, as per the company.Speaking on the development, Bodhisattwa Sanghapriya, Founder & CEO of IG Defence, said, “The future battlefield will increasingly be defined by autonomous, long-range precision strike capabilities. KAL represents an important milestone in India’s journey towards self-reliance in advanced defence technologies and demonstrates our ability to design and develop world-class indigenous systems.”As friendly nations continue to modernise their defence capabilities, India is uniquely positioned to emerge as a trusted partner for reliable, affordable, and mission-ready unmanned platforms, subject to all applicable government approvals and export controls, he added.The IG Defence is producing the country’s first indigenous 1,000 km-class long-range one-way attack drone at its facilities in Ghaziabad, a satellite town of Delhi in Uttar Pradesh. It has the capacity to produce 100 KALs per month.Published on August 5, 2026
