CHENNAI: In line with Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi’s vision to equip every soldier with a drone, the Dakshin Bharat Area has set up a dedicated drone MRO lab at the Madras Regimental Centre, Wellington, in partnership with Chennai-based Zuppa.
The initiative marks a strategic shift in the military’s approach to unmanned aerial systems (UAS), placing greater emphasis not only on frontline drone deployment but also on in-theatre repair, diagnostics, and self-reliance. The effort follows lessons drawn from Operation Sindoor.
The operation underscored the urgent need for Indian soldiers not only to operate drones but to independently maintain and troubleshoot them during active conflict scenarios.
“The real challenge in drone warfare isn’t just flying them - it’s understanding their inner workings, especially how high electromagnetic fields can disrupt sensitive sensors,” said Sai Pattabiram, founder and managing director of Zuppa. “The MRO lab is designed as a scalable, hands-on ecosystem to bridge that knowledge gap.”
The MRO lab is the result of a series of technical consultations between Lieutenant General Karanbir Brar, General Officer Commanding, Dakshin Bharat Area, and Zuppa’s engineering team. The project includes DGCA-certified drone pilot training, to be delivered in collaboration with Tamil Nadu Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Corporation (TNUAV), and is underpinned by a Memorandum of Understanding signed between Zuppa and the Army's Madras Regimental Centre.
At the core of the initiative is a proprietary Learning Management System (LMS) developed by Zuppa. The platform provides modular, micro-learning content covering topics from basic component recognition to electromagnetic field diagnostics - accessible remotely to instructors and recruits.
Army officials say the system is especially suited to mass upskilling efforts under the Agniveer programme, and will also support retiring soldiers transitioning to civilian aerospace and defence sectors.
“The Army’s adoption of a fully indigenous MRO solution is a strong validation of both our technical roadmap and our delivery model,” said Venkatesh Sai, co-founder and technical director at Zuppa. “We believe this template can be extended across other regimental training centres nationwide.”