MS Dhoni backed Garuda Aerospace to set up drone factory in Malaysia with HiiLSE Drones

Chennai-based drone start-up Garuda Aerospace, which roped in cricketer M.S. Dhoni as an investor and brand ambassador earlier this month, has partnered with Malaysian drone firm, HiiLSE Global SdnBhd (HiiLSE Drones) to set up its first aerospace plant in that country, the company said on Wednesday.

ToutedHiiLSE Garuda Aerospace Plant, the facility spread across 2.42 hectares would be set up at an investment of ₹115 crore.  

“The partners aim to focus on providing cutting-edge technology to both the government and private sectors all across the region,” a company statement said.

“This partnership will define an ecosystem of drones with advanced artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep learning technologies,” Garuda Aerospace, founder-CEO, Agnishwar Jayaprakash said.  

Claimed to be the first and largest in Southeast Asian region once it becomes operational, the facility is expected to generate 3,000 jobs.  

“With this partnership, Garuda Aerospace has transcended into India’s most valuable drone start-up poised to scale globally and belief that the future is here and now,” he said.  

Founded in 2015 by Jayaprakash, Garuda Aerospace is a drone-as-a-service (DaaS) start-up. The start-up designs, manufactures 30 different types of drones and offers over 50 types of services such as precision agriculture spray, industry 4.0 upgradation services, structural damage inspection, warehouse management and seed dropping, as well as drone delivery of medicines for hospitals and drone delivery of packages for food.  

In February, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had virtually inaugurated the drone manufacturing facilities of Garuda Aerospace at Manesar in Gurugram and in Chennai.  

In June, cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni invested an undisclosed amount in the drone start-up, thereby joining the entity as a stakeholder. He has also joined the start-up as a brand ambassador.   

HiiLSE Drones founder and CTO, Shanmugam S. Thanggavilo, said that the drone manufacturing plant in Malaysia will not only “create more jobs in the region, but also focus on technology and efficiency, thereby reduce the overall costs”.