India, Jan. 14 -- A Drishti 10 Starliner drone, built by Adani Defence and Aerospace, crashed off the Porbandar coast in Gujarat while it was undergoing acceptance trials before being delivered to the Indian Navy, people aware of the matter said on Tuesday.

The medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) drone is already in service with the navy - it inducted one last year. The navy and the army had earlier ordered two such drones each by invoking emergency financial powers to boost their intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities.

The one that crashed was operated by the manufacturer and has been recovered, the people said, asking not to be named. Each system costs around Rs.145 crore.

The Drishti 10 Starliner has bee...