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As India Liberalizes Its Drone Rules, Billionaires Aim For The Skies

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As India Liberalizes Its Drone Rules, Billionaires Aim For The Skies

by Ramakrishnan Narayanan

Barely five months after announcing the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Rules, which
had been met with a tepid response, the Indian government has had a quick
rethink. Last week it announced the Liberalized Drone Rules, 2021, which
promise to make life infinitely less complicated for drone operators.

The new rules, says a government press release, are built on the premise of
trust, self-certification and non-intrusive monitoring, while balancing safety
and security considerations. The country’s newly appointed civil aviation
minister Jyotiraditya Scindia is confident that India has the potential to be
a global drone hub by 2030.

The Drone Rules have abolished several approvals, cut down the paperwork from
25 forms to five, and reduced the types of fees from a complex 72 to a mere
four. The quantum of fees will now be nominal and has been delinked from the
size of the drone. For example, the fee for a remote pilot license has been
reduced from 3,000 rupees (about $40), to a mere 100 rupees (about $1.35) for
all categories of drones.

The government plans to develop a user-friendly digital sky platform with an
interactive airspace map displaying green, yellow and red zones. No
permissions will be required for operating drones in green zones. There will
no longer be any restriction on foreign ownership in Indian drone companies,
while the import of drones will be regulated by the Directorate General of
Foreign Trade. The coverage of drones under Drone Rules will be increased from
300kg to 500kg, including drone taxis.

Smit Shah, Director, Drone Federation of India, an industry body, says the
government has taken a most pragmatic and industry-friendly approach by
repealing the March rules and replacing them with a new set of guidelines.
“These new rules put India on a par with other countries as far as regulation
goes. It is now up to the industry to make use of the opportunity.”

Some Indian billionaires seem to be prepared to grab this. Billionaire Mukesh
Ambani’s Reliance Industries has a majority stake in drone manufacturer
Asteria Aerospace, which has developed drones weighing between 15 kilos to
less than 2 kilos. India’s second-richest person Gautam Adani’s group company
Adani Defence Aerospace, has tied up with Israeli company Elbit Systems to
make unmanned aerial vehicles in a factory in south India. Tata Advanced
Systems, part of the diversified conglomerate Tata Group, is focusing on
designing and developing mini and micro UAVs, while Mahindra Defence, a unit
of billionaire Anand Mahindra’s Mahindra & Mahindra group, has tied up
with Aeronautics of Israel for naval shipborne UAVs.

Shah estimates the market potential to be over 500 billion rupees ($6.85
billion) in the next five years; already there are over 100 drone companies
and more than 200 service providers in the country. These include start-ups
such as Detect Technologies, which uses unmanned aerial vehicles to monitor
oil industry structures, and Aarav Unmanned Systems, which has successfully
raised venture capital funding,

India’s civil aviation regulator, Director General of Civil Aviation, had
imposed a blanket ban on the use of drones in the country in 2014 after
someone tried to deliver pizzas using a drone. The government unveiled the
first drone policy in 2018, which was restrictive and sought to impose
absolute control over the sector. Since then, the government and industry have
worked together to evolve guidelines.

Recently, the Civil Aviation Ministry permitted drone trials by a few
companies, including Mahindra & Mahindra, the government-owned steel
company SAIL, Bayer Crop Science and even the state government of Karnataka
for various purposes. Restaurant aggregators and food delivery firms such as
Zomato and Swiggy have been involved in drone trials for food deliveries.
Others have been conducting trials for delivering medicines and other
essentials in remote parts of the country, while several states have expressed
interest in using drones to deliver Covid-19 vaccines to India’s hinterland.
According to Shah, with the new rules, the sky is the limit.

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INS Arihant’s Nuke-Capable K-4 Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile ‘Ready To Roll’

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INS Arihant’s Nuke-Capable K-4 Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile ‘Ready To Roll’


NEW DELHI: India tested its nuclear capable K-4 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), designed to have a strike range of 3,500 km, for the second time in six days on Friday. The missile test, as the one conducted on January 19, was undertaken from an undersea platform in the shape of a submersible pontoon off the coast of Andhra Pradesh according to a report by Rajat Pandit of TOI.

The solid-fuelled K-4 missile is being developed by DRDO to arm the country’s nuclear-powered submarines in the shape of INS Arihant and its under-development sister vessels. INS Arihant, which became fully operational in November 2018 to complete India’s nuclear triad, is currently armed with the much shorter K-15 missiles with a 750 km range.

“The K-4 is now virtually ready for its serial production to kick-off. The two tests have demonstrated its capability to emerge straight from underwater and undertake its parabolic trajectory,” said a source.

India has the land-based Agni missiles, with the over 5,000-km Agni-V inter-continental ballistic missile now in the process of being inducted, and fighter jets jury-rigged to deliver nuclear weapons. But INS Arihant gives the country’s deterrence posture much more credibility because nuclear-powered submarines armed with nuclear-tipped missiles are considered the most secure, survivable and potent platforms for retaliatory strikes.

Once the K-4 missiles are inducted, they will help India narrow the gap with countries like the US, Russia and China, which have over 5,000-km range SLBMs. The K-4 missiles are to be followed by the K-5 and K-6 missiles in the 5,000-6,000 km range class.

The 6,000-ton INS Arihant, which is propelled by an 83 MW pressurised light-water reactor at its core, in turn, is to be followed by INS Arighat, which was launched in 2017. The next generation of nuclear submarines, currently called S-4 and S-4*, will be much larger in size.





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After Upgradation, Sukhoi Su-30MKI Indigenisation To Reach 78%

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After Upgradation, Sukhoi Su-30MKI Indigenisation To Reach 78%


India has received clearance to upgrade 84 Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets, which will result in 78% indigenization after the upgrade

In a significant step towards bolstering its military might with indigenously developed technology, India is poised to witness its Russian-origin Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets evolve into a domestic platform. Speaking at a recent lecture.

The upgrade program is being led by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in partnership with the Indian Air Force and other partners. The upgrade is expected to cost US$7.5 billion.

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) granted Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for the upgrade. The upgrade is part of India’s efforts to improve the capabilities of its primary fighter aircraft, it refers to as the “Super Sukhoi”.

This initiative is a part of a larger effort by the Indian Air Force to modernize its ageing fleet. Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari asserted the critical role of an offensive air force as demonstrated in current global conflicts and emphasized India’s move towards an indigenized arsenal. To this end, the IAF has been proactive, from upgrading its Mirage 2000 to enhancing its MiG-29 fleet.

In summary, the IAF’s commitment to updating their combat forces with the latest technology, including shifting to fifth-generation fighter jets, ensures operational preparedness and a strong deterrence capability. The gradual indigenization of its air fleet marks a pivotal shift in India’s defence landscape, reducing dependency on foreign imports and fostering technological sovereignty.





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Akash Weapon System Exports For The Armenian Armed Forces Gathers Pace

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Akash Weapon System Exports For The Armenian Armed Forces Gathers Pace


According to unconfirmed reports, Armenia is a top contender for an export order for Akash SAM system manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL).

While there is no official confirmation because of the sensitivities involved, documents suggest that the order for the same has already been placed the report further added.
There are nine countries, in turn, which have shown interest in the indigenously-developed Akash missile systems, which can intercept hostile aircraft, helicopters, drones and subsonic cruise missiles at a range of 25-km. They are Kenya, Philippines, Indonesia, UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Vietnam and Algeria reported TOI.

The Akash export version will also be slightly different from the one inducted by the armed forces. The 100-km range air-to-air Astra missiles, now entering production after successful trials from Sukhoi-30MKI fighters, also have “good export potential”, said sources.

Akash is a “tried, tested and successfully inducted systems”. Indian armed forces have ordered Akash systems worth Rs 24,000 crore over the years, and MoD inked a contract in Mar 2023 of over Rs 9,100 crores for improved Akash Weapon System

BDL is a government enterprise under the Ministry of Defence that was established in 1970. BDL manufactures surface-to-air missiles and delivers them to the Indian Army. BDL also offers its products for export.

Akash Weapon System

The AWS is a Short Range Surface to Air Missile (SRSAM) Air Defence System, indigenously designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). In order to meet aerial threats, two additional Regiments of AWS with Upgradation are being procured for Indian Army for the Northern borders. Improved AWS has Seeker Technology, Reduced Foot Print, 360° Engagement Capability and improved environmental parameters.

The project will give a boost to the Indian missile manufacturing industry in particular and the indigenous defence manufacturing ecosystem as a whole. The project has overall indigenous content of 82% which will be increased to 93% by 2026-27.

The induction of the improved AWS into the Indian Army will increase India’s self-reliance in Short Range Missile capability. This project will play a role in boosting the overall economy by avoiding outgo of precious foreign exchange to other countries, increasing employment avenues in India and encouraging Indian MSMEs through components manufacturing. Around 60% of the project cost will be awarded to the private industry, including MSMEs, in maintaining the supply chain of the weapon system, thereby creating large scale of direct and indirect employment.





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