NEW DELHI, June 24. /TASS/. The Kalashnikov holding plans to take part in the procurement program for the purchase of unmanned aerial vehicles for the Indian Armed Forces with the all-climatic high-altitude reconnaissance vehicle SKAT 350M presented in the Indian market under the name Garuda, Maxim Karavaev, director of business development of the company in India, told TASS.

Localization of drone production is being discussed within the framework of cooperation with the Indian partner, he noted. "The SKAT 350 drone. In India, we call it Garuda. The Indian partner company, which will receive certain technologies, will assemble this UAV at its plant and produce individual components," Karavaev said.

"Together with this partner company, we conducted tests with the Ministry of Defense of India, with two commands in the conditions of active use of electronic warfare. And our drone was the only one that worked in these conditions," the company representative stressed. Kalashnikov intends to participate in the Indian UAV procurement program together with a partner that will ensure the localization of production, Karavaev said.

The product confirmed the ability to perform tasks in high-altitude terrain, which is one of the key requirements of the Indian military. "In the Himalayas, it climbed and set a record of its class for the operating altitude, reaching 9,500 meters. For India, this is a key requirement, because any actively used drone in the service of the armed forces must be able to fly from a height of at least 3 thousand meters. Not every drone flies confidently in such conditions," Karavaev said.

Kalashnikov presented its high-tech products at the India Homeland Security Expo, which opened in New Delhi.