What Is the Drishti-10 Starliner MALE Drone and Why It Matters for India’s Maritime Defence

India has begun inducting the Drishti-10 Starliner, a high-end Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle, into the Indian Navy’s fleet — a move that quietly but decisively strengthens the country’s maritime surveillance and deterrence capabilities. Built in India by “Adani Defence and Aerospace”, the platform represents a critical shift in how India monitors its vast oceanic neighbourhood at a time of rising strategic competition in the Indian Ocean Region.

What exactly is the Drishti-10 Starliner?

The Drishti-10 Starliner is an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) drone designed to remain airborne for extended durations while scanning large swathes of land and sea. Classified as a MALE UAV, it operates at medium altitudes but offers endurance comparable to some of the most advanced unmanned systems in service globally.

Manufactured at Adani Defence’s facility in “Hyderabad”, the platform draws its technological lineage from Israel’s Hermes 900 — a combat-proven UAV widely used for maritime and border surveillance. Crucially, the Drishti-10 is not merely an imported system but an indigenised variant aligned with India’s operational requirements.

Why endurance and altitude matter in naval surveillance

One of the defining features of the Drishti-10 is its ability to stay airborne for up to 36 hours in a single mission. For maritime forces, this endurance is a game-changer. The Indian Ocean is vast, and traditional crewed patrol aircraft are limited by crew fatigue, fuel costs, and operational availability.

By operating continuously at altitudes between roughly 10,000 and 30,000 feet, the drone can track shipping lanes, identify suspicious vessels, and maintain persistent watch over sensitive areas — something that would otherwise require multiple sorties by manned aircraft.

The sensor suite that turns data into intelligence

The drone can carry payloads of up to 450 kg, allowing it to host a wide range of sensors simultaneously. These typically include electro-optical and infrared cameras for day-and-night imaging, maritime surveillance radars capable of detecting even small vessels, and communication intelligence systems that can intercept and analyse signals.

This multi-sensor capability enables the Drishti-10 to move beyond simple observation to real-time intelligence generation, feeding actionable inputs directly to naval commanders.

Certification that sets it apart from most military drones

A key distinction of the Drishti-10 is its certification under NATO’s STANAG 4671 airworthiness standard. This is rare for military UAVs and allows the drone to operate in both segregated and civilian airspace.

For India, this translates into greater operational flexibility — especially for maritime missions that require drones to transit through shared air corridors or operate close to civilian flight paths along the coastline.

How the Indian Navy plans to use the platform

For the “Indian Navy”, the Drishti-10 is primarily a maritime domain awareness asset. It will be used to monitor shipping routes, track unusual vessel movements, and support anti-piracy and search-and-rescue missions.

Its ability to remain on station for long periods makes it especially valuable for Exclusive Economic Zone monitoring, illegal fishing detection, and early warning against unconventional maritime threats.

The larger strategic significance

Beyond its technical specifications, the Drishti-10 carries strategic weight. It strengthens India’s push for self-reliance in defence manufacturing, reduces dependence on foreign ISR platforms, and enhances India’s capacity to maintain a persistent presence in the Indian Ocean amid increasing Chinese naval activity.

Economically, UAV-based surveillance also offers a cost-effective alternative to deploying large crewed aircraft for routine patrols, freeing up high-value assets for critical missions.

What lies ahead

Initial deployments have already begun from key coastal bases, and the platform is expected to be integrated with naval ships, submarines, and coastal radar networks to create a layered surveillance architecture. The Indian Army’s parallel use of the drone for border surveillance also underscores its versatility.

As India’s maritime security challenges grow more complex, the Drishti-10 Starliner is likely to become a central pillar of the country’s unmanned surveillance strategy — quietly watching vast oceans, long before threats reach the shore.