Indian drone entered Chinese airspace due to tech fault: MoD

Confirming a Chinese military claim made earlier today, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said that an Indian Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) lost control on a regular training mission and crossed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China in Sikkim.

The Ministry clarified in a statement, "An Indian UAV, which was on a regular training mission inside the Indian Territory, lost contact with the ground control due to some technical problem and crossed over the LAC in the Sikkim Sector".

"As per standard protocol, the Indian border security personnel immediately alerted their Chinese counterparts to locate the UAV. In response, the Chinese side reverted with the location details of the UAV. The exact cause of the incident is under investigation. The matter is being dealt with in accordance with the established protocols through institutional mechanisms to deal with situations along the India- China border areas," the statement further read.

Incidents involving drones have erupted before between India, China and Pakistan in the past few years.

In 2015, Pakistan's armed forces shot down a drone near the Line of Control with India, which later turned out to have been manufactured in China.