Page 7 - Drones

Russia reports Ukrainian drone barrage, Kyiv says it hit an airfield

Russian officials have said that Ukrainian forces overnight targeted multiple Russian regions with a massive drone barrage. Russia's Defence Ministry said in a statement that its air defence systems intercepted and destroyed a total of 75 drones over a number of regions that lie on the border with Ukraine or not far from it, including Belgorod, Krasnodar, Kursk, Oryol, Rostov, Voronezh, and the Ryazan region deeper inside Russia. One of those drones was also shot down over the Azov sea, the statement said. Thirty-six drones were destroyed over the Rostov region, according to the ministry. Rostov Gov. Vasily Golubev said in an online statement, however, that the region was attacked by a total of 55 drones. He didn't specify how many of these were intercepted and how many hit the targets, saying only that warehouse facilities in the Morozovsk and Kamensky districts sustained damage in the attack. Ukraine's General Staff said on Saturday in a Facebook post that its forces struck an ...

Security forces seize arms consignment dropped by drone in J&K's Rajouri

Security forces seized on Friday a consignment of arms and ammunition suspected to have been dropped by a drone from across the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, officials said. They said a search operation was initiated in the Nowshera area following the sighting of a suspected drone along the LoC in the Mangla battalion area. Army units engaged the drone with gunfire, and a cordon-and-search operation was launched in the early hours of the day, the officials added. During the search, a consignment suspected to have been by the drone was discovered and seized by Army and police personnel in the border village of Sehar in the Nowshera sub-division, they said. The items include a pistol, two magazines and 37 bullets. Search operations in the area are ongoing, the officials said.

16,000 remote pilot certificates issued for operating drones in India: Govt

As many as 16,000 Remote Pilot Certificates (RPCs) have been issued for operating drones in the country, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol told the Rajya Sabha on Monday. The certificates have been issued by the DGCA-approved Remote Pilot Training Organisations (RPTOs). In a written reply, Mohol also said that 48 drone companies are producing DGCA type-certified Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) models in the country and 70 models have been type certified by the regulator. "The drone industry is witnessing growth in India. Till date, 16,000 Remote Pilot Certificates (RPC) have been issued by Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)-approved RPTOs," he said. There are 116-DGCA-approved RPTOs.

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

Ukraine drone attacks on Russia's Belgorod region leaves 1 dead, 4 injured

Russian defence ministry said that its air defence systems destroyed a total of 29 Ukraine-launched drones over the region's territory

IAF to acquire 6 Tapas drones, lead acquisition for Made-in-India UAVs

The Indian Air Force will be the lead agency for the induction and acquisition of the Tapas drones into the defence forces, they said

US approves new $360 mn arms sale to Taiwan for drones, related equipment

The Biden administration on Tuesday approved a new USD 360 million weapons sale to Taiwan, sending the island hundreds of armed drones, missile equipment and related support material, the State Department said in a statement that is sure to draw condemnation from China. The announcement was not unexpected but it comes at a time of high tension between Washington and Beijing, which regards Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to consolidate by force if necessary. The sale includes 291 Altius-600M systems, which are unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, with warheads. It also includes 720 Switchblade drones known as extended-range loitering munitions, the State Department said. It said the sale serves U.S. national, economic, and security interests by supporting the recipient's continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability. It will help improve the security of the recipient and assist in maintaining political stability, milita

Army inducts indigenous Nagastra-1 kamikaze drones from Solar Industries

The rise in drone-related incidents along India's Northern borders underscores the urgent need for indigenous capabilities in utilising drones and UAVs for combat applications

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

US, India in talks for $3.99 billion MQ-9B drone deal. Details here

The drones, intended for maritime roles, will be stationed at three hubs, including INS Rajali in Tamil Nadu

DoT plans trials for drone & balloon-based 5G restoration during disasters

The Department of Telecommunications will likely conduct trials in the coming months to assess the effectiveness of this initiative

Amazon expanding US drone service after regulator's nod to fly devices

Prime Air was slow to launch. A Bloomberg investigation in 2022 revealed that the program was beset by technical challenges, high turnover and safety concerns

Govt needs to further expand PLI scheme to make India 'Global Drone Hub'

The government needs to expand the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme and develop an ecosystem to realise the goal of making India a global drone hub, a report said. An incentive of Rs 120 crore spread over three financial years was provided for Indian manufacturers of drone and drone components under the PLI Scheme notified on September 30, 2021. As per the Ministry of Civil Aviation projections, the Indian drone manufacturing industry is expected to reach Rs 900 crore by 2025 from just Rs 60 crore in 2020-21, according to a study conducted by Nexgen Exhibitions. It also noted that the Indian drone market is expected to grow at 22.15 per cent CAGR (compounded annual growth rate) during the 2024-30 period. With innovation and expansion of its application portfolio, India has the potential of becoming the global drone hub by 2030, it stated. The study highlighted that the key to realising India's vision lies in boosting the domestic drone ecosystem. Other major factors are th

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.

Drone Destination partners Iffco for spraying agri products on 3 mn acres

Drone company Drone Destination on Monday said it has signed an agreement with cooperative major IFFCO for spraying agricultural products on up to 30 lakh acres of farm land. According to company officials, under the agreement Drone Destination could get paid in the range of Rs 400 to Rs 800 per acre at prevailing market rates, implying that the deal will fetch a revenue of Rs 120 crore in the lower price band and up to Rs 240 at upper price band. "We have secured a mandate for agri spray over 30 lakh acres. The prevailing market rate of such agri spray is in the range of Rs 400-800 per acre depending upon the region and the crop," Drone Destination managing director and CEO Chirag Sharma said. As part of the agreement, Drone Destination will undertake drone spray in 12 states across the country. These states include Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttrakhand. "We are elated to partner wit

Chennai-based The ePlane to develop electric air taxi prototype by Mar 2025

Chennai-based startup The ePlane Company expects to develop a certifiable prototype of a flying electric taxi by March next year as it works on ways to alleviate urban congestion. Incubated out of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras, the company also aims to initially commercialise its drones that can carry a payload of 2-6 kilograms in the coming months, according to a senior executive. The ePlane Company's Founder and CEO Satya Chakravarthy said it is developing an eVTOL (electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing) aircraft and to begin with, it will be a three or four-seater plane which can be converted into an air ambulance. "By March next year is when we expect to develop the first certifiable prototype. It will take another couple of years to get the certification from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)," Chakravarthy told PTI. As per the startup's website, an ePlane will take only 14 minutes to reach a place that will take 60 minutes by a personal vehic

Govt extends approval for use of drones for spraying pesticides for 1 year

'The drone technology helps in immense water savings along with being a step towards precision agriculture,'

Defence space startups need boost from forces, industry to hit higher orbit

Armed forces personnel, space & defence industry heads and sector experts came together at Indian Space Association's Indian DefSpace Symposium 2024 to find ways to bolster defence-space capabilities

Differentiated regulations for civilian and defence use of drones on cards

Drone (Amendment) Rules 2023, had done away with several roadblocks, like stringent requirements for obtaining a Remote Pilot Certificate