ZUPPA Geo Navigation Technologies, India’s leading deep-tech drone developer and manufacturer, set up a cutting-edge maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) Lab on Wednesday at the Madras Regimental Centre (MRC) in collaboration with the Dakshin Bharat Area.
This move comes in response to the Indian Army Chief’s call in November 2024 for a “drone for every soldier”, while highlighting the need to empower Indian soldiers to independently operate, maintain, and troubleshoot drones during active conflict.
The establishment of the MRO lab follows the success of Operation Sindoor, which demonstrated the critical need for soldiers to not only operate drones but to maintain them in real time during missions.
“The real challenge in drone warfare lies not just in flying them, but in understanding the intricate electronic systems—especially the impact of high electromagnetic fields (EMF) on sensitive onboard sensors,” Sai Pattabiram, founder and managing director of ZUPPA, said. “That’s what our MRO lab will offer—a hands-on, tech-intensive learning framework built for scale.”
The proposal for the lab stemmed from technical discussions between Lt Gen Karanbir Brar, general officer commanding at Dakshin Bharat Area, and ZUPPA. It includes DGCA-certified drone pilot training and licensing, in partnership with TNUAV Corporation. Following approval, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between ZUPPA and MRC, marking the beginning of the project’s implementation.
A unique feature of the ZUPPA MRO Lab is its learning management system (LMS), which delivers modular, bite-sized lessons on topics ranging from component identification to advanced EMF diagnostics. This LMS can be accessed remotely, benefiting both instructors and learners.
The lab’s approach is particularly valuable for scaling instruction across the mass Agniveer training programs, as well as providing training to retiring soldiers to support post-service careers and currently serving armed forces professionals enrolled in various military courses.
“The Indian Army’s adoption of our fully indigenous MRO solution is a strong validation of both our technical expertise and our delivery model,” Venkatesh Sai, co-founder and technical director at ZUPPA, said. “We see a huge opportunity to replicate this success across other regimental training centres.”
The company has also deployed its Innovation Labs at AICTE-approved institutions and engineering colleges, aiming to bridge the gap between defence requirements and academic research. Looking ahead, ZUPPA plans to expand the MRO program to other technical arms of the Indian Army, further enhancing India’s self-reliance in defence technology.
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