K
Kathleen Martin
Guest
India’s drone manufacturing capability gets a leg-up through a mix of supportive policy and technological breakthroughs
The war in Ukraine, where armed drones have been targeting Russian convoys, has brought focus back to these unmanned aerial vehicles. The question that leaps to mind is, how good is India in drone technology?
While armed forces’ plans are generally a secret, we do know that India has ordered 100 Kamikaze drones, which were used with notable success by Azerbaijan in its conflict with Armenia. More interestingly, India has scrapped its $3-billion plan of buying Predator drones from the US, choosing instead to ‘make in India’. It is tempting to interpret that as an indication of India’s growing confidence in making quality drones.
India’s drone manufacturing capabilities are indeed rising. You see the coming together of a domestic ‘drone ecosystem’ (armed or otherwise), like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle.
Industry insiders say it all started with the government coming out with the more liberal Drones Rules, in August 2021, replacing the previous UAS (unmanned aerial systems) Rules. The new rules re-define red, yellow and green zones and ease permission requirements. They essentially concern themselves with determining which type of drone can fly where, at which height, and which are the flights that require prior permission. Writing in Mondaq, a content aggregating platform, Dipak Rao and Prerna Kapur, advocates with Singhania & Partners, note that over 25 types of permissions under the UAS Rules were condensed into five under the Drones Rules. For example, unlike the UAS Rules, the Drones Rules do not demand a ‘real-time tracking beacon’ or permission for take-off.
“These rules made testing of drones much easier,” observes Subhashis Banerjee, co-founder and CIO of Bengaluru-based AI & Robotics Technology Park (ARTPARK), a not-for-profit company set up by the governments of India and Karnataka to facilitate start-ups in AI and robotics.
The drone ecosystem was taking root even earlier, but the easier rules have gingered things up. “For a start-up,” says Banerjee, “three things are required — talent, capital and ecosystem.” While there is no dearth of talent, and ‘capital’ is now more accessible, it is the ecosystem that is still deficient. ARTPARK’s mission is to plug this gap.
Continue reading: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/business-tech/the-coming-together-of-the-drone-ecosystem-in-india/article65214981.ece
The war in Ukraine, where armed drones have been targeting Russian convoys, has brought focus back to these unmanned aerial vehicles. The question that leaps to mind is, how good is India in drone technology?
While armed forces’ plans are generally a secret, we do know that India has ordered 100 Kamikaze drones, which were used with notable success by Azerbaijan in its conflict with Armenia. More interestingly, India has scrapped its $3-billion plan of buying Predator drones from the US, choosing instead to ‘make in India’. It is tempting to interpret that as an indication of India’s growing confidence in making quality drones.
India’s drone manufacturing capabilities are indeed rising. You see the coming together of a domestic ‘drone ecosystem’ (armed or otherwise), like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle.
Industry insiders say it all started with the government coming out with the more liberal Drones Rules, in August 2021, replacing the previous UAS (unmanned aerial systems) Rules. The new rules re-define red, yellow and green zones and ease permission requirements. They essentially concern themselves with determining which type of drone can fly where, at which height, and which are the flights that require prior permission. Writing in Mondaq, a content aggregating platform, Dipak Rao and Prerna Kapur, advocates with Singhania & Partners, note that over 25 types of permissions under the UAS Rules were condensed into five under the Drones Rules. For example, unlike the UAS Rules, the Drones Rules do not demand a ‘real-time tracking beacon’ or permission for take-off.
“These rules made testing of drones much easier,” observes Subhashis Banerjee, co-founder and CIO of Bengaluru-based AI & Robotics Technology Park (ARTPARK), a not-for-profit company set up by the governments of India and Karnataka to facilitate start-ups in AI and robotics.
The drone ecosystem was taking root even earlier, but the easier rules have gingered things up. “For a start-up,” says Banerjee, “three things are required — talent, capital and ecosystem.” While there is no dearth of talent, and ‘capital’ is now more accessible, it is the ecosystem that is still deficient. ARTPARK’s mission is to plug this gap.
Continue reading: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/business-tech/the-coming-together-of-the-drone-ecosystem-in-india/article65214981.ece
