STATE-RUN aerospace behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) is working on an AI-driven multi-role, advanced and long-endurance drone for strategic missions in high-altitude areas including along the frontiers with China, people familiar with the development said on Sunday.

The rotary-wing drone will have the capability to carry a load of 40 kgs, including missiles and sensors, and it is being developed considering the requirement of the armed forces to keep a strong vigil over the mountainous areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), they said.

The HAL has set a target of conducting the maiden test-flying of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) by the middle of next year and plans to produce 60 such platforms in the first phase of the project, the people in the know told PTI.

They said the operating system of the long-endurance drone will feature applications of Artificial Intelligence and the armed forces will be able to use it for multiple purposes including transporting essential supplies. “The drone is being developed in such a way that it can carry a wide range of vital military systems including sensors, missiles and various other weapons,” said one of the people cited above.

Separately, HAL is also looking at the possibility of producing the Israeli Heron TP drones in collaboration with its manufacturer under an ambitious project. “This project is aimed at addressing the requirement of our armed forces as well as global supplies,” the person said.