Page 2 - Drones In India

ideaForge boosts India's drone sector with focus on tech indigenisation

ideaForge has the largest operational deployment of indigenous UAVs across India, with an ideaForge-manufactured drone taking off every five minutes on average for surveillance and mapping

India banned drone imports to encourage local startups: Ram Mohan Naidu

Union Minister of Civil Aviation K Ram Mohan Naidu on Tuesday said India has totally banned the import of drones to encourage local talent to manufacture them. Addressing the two-day national drone summit at Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh, the Civil Aviation Minister noted that the government banned drone imports as it does not want some other country or company to benefit at the cost of India. We have banned the total import of drones, why did we do it? We want to encourage more startups to come in this drone sector. We want the people of this country to manufacture drones. We don't want to import drones and let the benefit go to some other country or some other company, said Naidu. According to the union minister, the government wants the young and bright minds of the country to develop new types of drones to cater to solutions which are indigenous to the country, so, with that mindset we banned imports'. The aviation minister highlighted that the Centre has liberalised rules for th

India signs $4 bn deal to buy 31 Predator drones from US' General Atomics

The defence ministry and General Atomics Global India also signed a contract for performance-based logistics for the drones through depot-level maintenance, repair and overhaul in India

India signs Rs 32,000-cr deal for 31 US Predator drones to counter China

As part of the deal, India and the US have also agreed to set up a maintenance, repair and overhaul facility for the 31 MQ-9B Predator armed drones in the country

QCI gives nod to National Test House Ghaziabad as drones certification body

Quality Council of India (QCI) has given provisional approval to National Test House (NTH), Ghaziabad, as a certification body for drones. NTH, Ghaziabad has been "provisionally approved by the Quality Council of India (QCI) as a certification body for type certification of drones", an official statement said on Tuesday. This is as part of the certification scheme for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). This significant milestone aligns with the Government of India's push towards fostering a robust and globally competitive drone ecosystem under the Drone Rules 2021. In line with this responsibility, a team of auditors from NTH will visit Vimaana Aerospace Technologies, Noida, from 11th to 12th September 2024 for conducting a Stage-2 (onsite) assessment. "The purpose of this audit is to evaluate their D1 application for Krishiraj 1.0, an agricultural drone model designed to meet the specific needs of the farming sector," the statement said. This assessment is a crucial step towards .

India to develop strict checks to avoid Chinese parts in military drones

An 'appropriate methodology' with the necessary technical evaluation criteria is being devised to prevent the inclusion of Chinese parts and electronics in these drones

India's first indigenous combat unmanned aircraft FWD 200B takes flight

The indigenous bomber drone's successful launch comes after setbacks with international suppliers, including Turkey's refusal to sell the Bayraktar UAV and a delay in the US Predator drone deal

India set to finalise $3.9 billion drone deal with US amid China-Pak threat

India is fast-tracking negotiations to acquire 31 weaponised MQ-9B 'hunter-killer' remotely-piloted drones from the US as China has ramped up its supply of armed drones to Pakistan

BSF intercepts 125 drones from Pakistan in 2024, seizes drugs and weapons

The Border Security Force has intercepted 125 drones this year along Punjab's border with Pakistan, marking a notable rise from 22 drones intercepted in 2022 and 107 in 2023

Drone deliveries to revolutionise quick commerce in urban areas by 2027

By 2027, drones will handle approximately 30% of all quick commerce deliveries in major cities

Drone delivers medicines, groceries to residents in Gurugram. WATCH

Skye Air CEO Ankit Kumar stated that drones are revolutionising urban logistics by offering swift, eco-friendly, and precise delivery services

Drone logistics solution provider Skye Air bags $4 mn in Series A funding

Skye Air, a drone logistics solution provider, on Monday said it has secured USD 4 million (about Rs 34 crore) funding, which will be used to expand the company's operations across Gurugram and other cities for healthcare, and quick-commerce deliveries. The Series A funding was achieved with backing from Mount Judi Ventures, Chiratae Ventures, Venture Catalyst, Windrose Capital, and Tremis Capital. Faad Capital, Misfits Capital, Hyderabad Angels, Soonicorn Ventures and other existing investors, family offices and angels also participated in the funding round. "The fresh capital will help the company expand its last-mile network across Gurugram and other cities for healthcare, e-commerce, and quick-commerce deliveries," said Ankit Kumar, Founder & CEO of Skye Air. He further said that with the Modi 3.0 government at the centre stage, the company envisages a plethora of growth coming in the Indian drone sector, which will make Bharat a global drone hub by 2030. Maple Capital ...

Indian Army gets first indigenous suicide drones with reusable technology

The army ordered these drones using its emergency procurement powers, and they were delivered within a year to address urgent needs along the Pakistan and China borders

China-made drone recovered in border area of Punjab's Tarn Taran: BSF

Notably, this is the third Chinese drone that the security forces have recovered in the district since last week

Marut Drones, Iffco team up for spray ops in 500,000 acres in AP, Telangana

Marut Drones on Thursday said it has tied up with cooperative fertiliser major IFFCO to undertake drone spray operations in five lakh acres of farmland in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Under the terms of the agreement, Marut Drones will be employing state-of-the-art drone technology to administer a range of agricultural inputs developed by IFFCO agri-products, an official statement said. This initiative aims to optimise crop yields while minimising environmental impact, ultimately contributing to sustainable agricultural practices. Marut Drones co-founder and CEO Prem Kumar said: "The utilisation of drones addresses labour shortages by completing tasks in a fraction of the time it would take manually, significantly enhancing operational efficiency". By providing drones as a service for farmers, this collaboration empowers local communities and fosters self-employment opportunities, the company said.

Coromandel Int'l delivers 200 drones to women SHGs to modernise farming

Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually hand over 1,000 drones, including 200 drones supplied by Coromandel International, to the members of various SHGs

MQ9-B sale will enhance India's maritime security, awareness capability: US

The sale of General Atomics MQ9-B armed drones would provide India with an enhanced maritime security and domain awareness capability, the United States has said. Last week, the State Department informed the State Department of its decision to authorise the sale of 31 MQ-9B armed drones at an estimated cost of USD 3.99 billion. The projected mega drone agreement was revealed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's historic state visit here in June 2023. This sale, we believe, will provide India with an enhanced maritime security and maritime domain awareness capability, State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters at his daily news conference. It offers India outright ownership of these aircraft, and this is something that we'll continue to deepen our cooperation with our Indian partners on, Patel said.

Partnership with India is one of most consequential relationships, says US

America's partnership with India is among the most consequential ones, the Biden administration said Thursday hours after it notified the Congress of its decision to sell 31 armed drones to India at an estimated cost of nearly USD 4 billion. "I would say that our partnership with India is one of our most consequential relationships. We work closely with India on our most vital priorities," State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters at his daily news conference. "We have had a close working relationship with the (outgoing Indian) ambassador (Taranjit Singh Sandhu), have been able to work with him on a number of those shared priorities, including the crucial role India plays in ensuring a free open Indo-Pacific that is connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient," Miller said. "We wish him well in his future endeavours and look forward to welcoming his replacement," he said. In response to a question, Miller said Secretary of State Antony Blinken has a close working

Zen Technologies, govt of Goa sign MoU for setting up R&D facility in state

The new facility will be established at a cost of Rs 50 crore, and is expected to create employment opportunities for 800 individuals

Kothari Industrial sets up a drone division to serve agricultural lands

Kothari Industrial Corporation Ltd, part of the DC Kothari Group, has set up a separate drone division to deploy drone technology in farmlands, the company said on Friday. Under this initiative, Kothari Industrial Corporation Ltd has planned to work out a long-term sustainable strategy to reconfigure the agricultural landscape with the use of drones. KICL is likely to invest over Rs 150 crore into the drone division over the next few years, a company statement here said. "We have now embarked on a journey that seeks to combine innovation, sustainability and a commitment to revitalising the agricultural sector," said Kothari Industrial Corporation Ltd Managing Director Jinnah Rafiq Ahmed. KICL has ventured into agricultural innovation with the introduction of a fleet of drones that have been designed to spray nano-urea in agricultural lands. Nano-urea effectively fulfills crop nitrogen requirements and increases leaf photosynthesis and root biomass, the company claimed in a ...