Garuda Aerospace drones to support Turkey earthquake relief efforts

Chennai-based drones startup Garuda Aerospace said on Wednesday that it will provide its Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)-approved drones for disaster management operations as part of the ongoing relief and rescue efforts in Turkey. 

On Monday, Turkey and Syria were hit by a massive earthquake of magnitude 7.8 which reportedly killed over 9,000 people in the region.

The company said in a statement that on the request of India’s National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Garuda will deploy their Droni Drone for surveillance in the most affected areas to identify where victims could be trapped under rubble piles and a modified Kisan Drone which will carry payloads that will help transport emergency medicines, supplies and food for victims. 

“Given the current situation in Turkey, Garuda Aerospace is deploying drones to support the ongoing rescue and relief operations,” Agnishwar Jayaprakash, Founder and CEO at Garuda Aerospace said. 

Earlier, Garuda Aerospace deployed drones for rescue and relief operations during Chamoli glacier burst in Uttarakhand and played a huge role by supporting the locust control operation in Rajasthan. The startup used emergency drones to deliver medicine and vaccinations to hospitals during the pandemic by partnering with Swiggy. Their drones have also helped a mountaineer rappel down a hill and have rescued a trekker. The company's White Knight drones delivered medicines and vaccinations in Bengaluru hospitals for ISRO in 2021.

Garuda Aerospace said that it has been a preferred drone partner for NDRF since 2020. In February 2022, at the 'Kisan Drone Yatra', an initiative by Garuda Aerospace, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged 100 ‘Kisan’ drones in 100 villages across India with live tracking, data collection, and processing to encourage farmers in drone adoption. 

In September 2022, it received approval from the DGCA as an official remote pilot training organisation (RPTO), making the startup an approved RPTO soon after the government liberalised drone regulations on August 26. 

Today, the company boasts a fleet of 400 drones and a well-trained team of over 500 pilots across 84 cities, equipped to support different emergencies. Former Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni unveiled the camera drone called Droni at The Global Drone Expo in Chennai in October 2022 and is the firm’s Brand Ambassador.