India, March 12 -- Garuda Aerospace has signed a contract with Airbus Helicopters to acquire up to 18 units of the Airbus Flexrotor UAS, marking a major step in the Indian drone company's strategy to expand its global unmanned aerial systems (UAS) leasing and services portfolio.

The agreement will enable Garuda Aerospace to integrate the long-endurance Flexrotor systems into its global fleet and offer them to customers through both dry lease and wet lease operational models. The drones will support a wide range of civil, industrial, and parapublic missions, including infrastructure inspection, oil and gas pipeline monitoring, powerline inspection, railway and highway monitoring, disaster response, wildfire surveillance, law enforcement, ...