Indian Navy's Drishti-10 UAV crashes near Porbandar during training flight; no casualties reported

An Indian Navy unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crashed near Gujarat's Porbandar on Wednesday during a routine training mission, prompting an investigation into what caused the aircraft to go down. The incident did not result in any injuries or damage to nearby residents, according to officials, making safety concerns and the cause of the crash the primary focus of the ongoing probe.

The UAV, identified later by the Navy as the Drishti-10, came down in an open field near Dharampur village, a few kilometres from Porbandar city, shortly after taking off from the Naval Air Enclave. Emergency and naval personnel quickly secured the area, while authorities confirmed that there was no loss of life on the ground.

District officials said the drone crashed in farmland located around six kilometres from Porbandar in Gujarat's Saurashtra region. Since the aircraft fell in an uninhabited open area, the incident did not affect nearby homes or civilians.

The Indian Navy confirmed the accident later in the day, stating that the Drishti-10 UAV was carrying out a routine training sortie when it crashed shortly after departure from the Porbandar airfield.

In the statement, Navy said no injuries or fatalities had been reported and that an investigation has been initiated to determine the circumstances leading to the crash.

Authorities have not yet disclosed whether the UAV experienced a technical malfunction or any other operational issue before going down. Officials said the exact reason will be established after a detailed inquiry.

The Drishti-10 is an uncrewed aerial vehicle used by the Indian Navy for surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Such aircraft are regularly deployed for maritime monitoring, intelligence gathering and training exercises along India's coastline.

With PTI inputs