Indian Army MRO Lab: The Indian Army has started a new chapter in drone use by setting up a drone repair and learning lab at the Madras Regimental Centre in Wellington, Tamil Nadu. This is part of Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi’s plan to give every soldier a drone and the skills to handle and fix it. The lab, which focuses on maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO), has been built in partnership with Zuppa, a drone technology company from Chennai. This is the first time the Army has taken such a big step to not only fly drones but also teach soldiers how to fix them on the spot during missions.
The Army launched this project after learning from Operation Sindoor that soldiers must do more than fly drones they need to maintain them, spot issues, and fix problems during missions. This is where the new MRO lab comes in it gives soldiers a real place to learn and practice drone repairs so that they are ready during battles.
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The lab is part of a much larger plan that came together after many talks between Lieutenant General Karanbir Brar, who is in charge of the Dakshin Bharat Area, and Zuppa’s team of engineers. The lab comes with training programs that are approved by India’s DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation), which means the soldiers will learn to fly drones with proper certification. These training sessions will also happen in partnership with the Tamil Nadu Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Corporation, also known as TNUAV reported Indian Express. The Army and Zuppa signed an official agreement to work together to make this happen.
Hands On Learning for Soldier
The most important part of this setup is the online learning system built by Zuppa. This is a special Learning Management System (LMS) that gives soldiers easy and short lessons that they can access online from anywhere. These lessons teach everything from how to tell one part of a drone from another to how to find problems caused by electromagnetic fields, which can mess with the drone’s sensors. The whole system is made to help soldiers learn at their own pace and become confident in drone technology. It also helps the Army train many people quickly, which is perfect for big training programs like the Agniveer scheme.
Sai Pattabiram, the founder and managing director of Zuppa, explained why this project matters. He said, “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.” His words show why just learning to fly isn’t enough—soldiers need to really understand how drones work if they want to use them properly in war.
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Venkatesh Sai, who is the co-founder and technical director at Zuppa, said that this project proves that their ideas and plans are working well. “The Army’s adoption of a fully indigenous MRO solution is a strong validation of both our technical roadmap and our delivery model,” he said. He also added that this kind of drone training setup could be used in many other regimental centres in the country.
