“Our military goal is to have a drone for every soldier and establish drone incubation hubs at all military stations”, said, Major General C. S. Mann, AVSM, VSM, Additional Director General, Army Design Bureau (ADB) at PHDCCI’s Bharat Drone Manthan -2.0, a two day CONCLAVE & Exhibition on the theme “ADVANCING THE DRONE ECOSYSTEM TOWARDS VIKSIT BHARAT”- Fostering Innovation, Indigenization, Investment & Industry Integration.
“In the recent Ukraine-Russia conflict, drones became a game changer in warfare tactics due to their capability, flexibility, and versatility in operations. Tanks have their own relevance, but the capability of drones is significant, and we need to use them for target strikes and precision attacks. Electronic warfare serves purposes such as communication, diffusion, and reconnaissance of areas affected by chemical and radiological effects. Not just in warfare, but also in counterinsurgency and counterterrorism, drones dominate as a low-cost platform. Further, enhanced effectiveness due to AI or swarming is another advantage”, he stated elaborating on drone technology.
Talking about the challenges being faced in this arena, he shared that the major challenge for the Indian Army is high-altitude areas, where operational and terrain conditions are very different. Batteries dry out very fast due to the peculiarities of the Himalayas and the varied atmosphere. The machine’s performance goes down by 50%, so drone stability is crucial in these challenging situations. I strongly believe that our industry will gradually be able to meet this requirement and improve drone performance in battlefields, he said.
Speaking on how drones can contribute towards the Viksit Bharat vision, he emphasised that we need to think beyond and consider counter-strength measures, for Viksit Bharat. And this vision will only be possible with Surakshit Bharat. He further emphasized on indigenization and national security issue to avoid vulnerabilities and evolve a framework that can mitigate security risks.
The capability exists, but the problem is awareness. He advised industry bodies like PHDCCI to map the entire industry’s capabilities and create awareness through such events. The industry should also consider a consortium approach.
Mr. Piyush Srivastava, Senior Economic Advisor, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India, discussed that the drone industry is poised for a quantum leap and has an immense revenue potential.
Further discussing on the ‘Drone Didi’ initiative he emphasised how it empowers women and optimizes the utilization of fertilizers and pesticides. He also spoke about the innovative use of drones in the floods of Andhra Pradesh, land mapping by the Panchayati Raj Ministry, and highway surveys.
Mr Srivastava also appreciated the government’s role as a market maker and informed that private sector demand is not picking up at the same pace, despite the private sector being the biggest contributor to GDP. He further urged that the sector must recognize its potential.
He added, Government rules for drone exports have been relaxed to promote indigenization for development and security requirements and further requested everyone to ensure that regulations are not flouted. When we request an exemption, it should be for a genuine reason and not a commercial one, he emphasized.
Shri Shekhar Dutt, Member IIPA & Former Governor, Chhattisgarh ; Former Dy NSA& Secretary NSCS ; Former Defence Secretary discussed that at present, drones weighing less than 250 grams do not need permits or approval. He said we should evaluate whether this can be regulated, as such drones can be misused. Regulations are needed to prevent the exploitation of drones’ offensive capabilities.
He further said that drones have multiple uses and suggested using them for tasks such as estimating traffic jams and diverting traffic, cleaning solar modules, and monitoring the atmosphere.
He added that smart ammunition can cause enormous damage, so a list of all activities needs to be chartered out and utilized by our own forces. Drones have significant capabilities in defence, aerial monitoring, early warning mechanisms, and operations. While designing drones, one must consider the point of view of the user. This will help in designing drones accordingly and identifying areas that require changes and upgrades.
Dr. Manish Pande, Director & Head of Project Analysis and Documentation Division (PAD Division)-Quality Council of India, discussed on the conformity assessment framework to ensure due diligence in quality certification. He informed, the criteria include taking a lot of inputs from a multi-stakeholder committee and further briefed on the cybersecurity aspect, mentioning that they are in discussion with DGCA to look into it.
Mr. Michael Jain, Co-Chair, PHDCCI presented vote of thanks and discussed that immense prowess of drone for India is huge and the opportunities are immense, indigenization is must and urge everyone to think large.
Dr. Ranjeet Mehta, CEO & Secretary General, PHDCCI, while discussing the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, emphasized that technology is a key driver in realizing this vision and accelerating growth. He highlighted that India currently has around 65 million MSMEs and the third-largest startup ecosystem, with 110 unicorns—demonstrating immense entrepreneurial potential. He further noted that drones present new opportunities for innovation and development.