India is aiming to become a global hub to manufacture drones as new technologies are bringing fundamental changes to the concept of warfare, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday. In an address at an event, Singh also said that the Modi government is creating an approach of 'adaptive defence' to deal with emerging security challenges. Elaborating on it, he said adaptive defence is not merely responding to what has happened but anticipating what could happen, and preparing for it proactively. "In essence, it involves cultivating a mindset and capability to adapt, innovate and thrive, even in the face of unpredictable and evolving circumstances," he said. "Situational awareness, flexibility at strategic and tactical levels, resilience, agility, and integration with the futuristic technologies are the keys to understand and create adaptive defence," he added. The defence minister said adaptive defence must be the "mantra" of India's strategic formulations and operational ...
An Odisha-based startup Bon V Aero has launched a fully autonomous logistics drone service called Air Orca. The launch of the drone service was made in the presence of venture capitalist Tim Draper. "Today's launch of Air Orca marks an important advancement for India's logistics sector and for us as an Odisha-based company", said Satyabrata Sathapathy, CEO of Bon V Aero said on Saturday. "Developing and manufacturing this drone indigenously has allowed us to tailor it for India's specific needs. Tim Draper's support strengthens the impact of this launch, and we are grateful for his involvement as we aim to extend Air Orca's benefits to both civilian and defence applications across India," Sathapathy said. Tim Draper said: "It's exciting to witness the launch of Air Orca here in Odisha. Autonomous drones like Air Orca provide practical solutions for modern logistics by expanding reach, flexibility and reliability with myriad use cases from disaster response to high-altitude operatio
Marut Drones is also exploring disaster management and surveillance applications
Zelenskyy further emphasised the importance of enhanced export controls on specialised components and resources, which is crucial to prevent Russia from evading the sanctions imposed
Taiwan signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) for the drones in late September. The next phase involves formalising contracts to specify quantities, prices, and delivery schedules
The Mumbai police have banned flying drones, remote-controlled microlight aircraft, paragliders and hot air balloons for a month, an official said on Tuesday. Police on Monday issued a prohibitory order under section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), and it will be in force from October 31 till November 29, an official said. As per the order, terrorists and anti-social elements might use drones, remote-controlled microlight aircraft and paragliders in their attacks to target VVIPs, endanger people's lives and destroy public property in the Mumbai Police commissionerate area. Certain restrictions are necessary to prevent probable sabotages through the flying objects, the order stated. Considering this, flying activities of drones, remote-controlled microlight aircraft and paragliders will not be allowed in the jurisdiction of Mumbai Police except for the aerial surveillance of police or by specific permission of DCP (operations), it added. Violators shall be ...
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 the
Russia's defence ministry said that its air defence units destroyed a total of 18 Ukrainian drones, but it did not mention Tambov in its tally
North Korea said Saturday it found the remains of a South Korean drone during a search in its capital, Pyongyang, claiming the drone proved the South's military was behind the alleged drone infiltrations over the city's skies earlier in the month. The North's official Korean Central News Agency released photos showing a seemingly damaged aircraft with wide, V-shaped wings and winglets. It said a joint investigation by North Korea's military and state security agencies concluded that the aircraft, which it said was found on Oct. 13, was the same type of drone that appeared in a South Korean military parade earlier in October. North Korea accused South Korea of flying drones over the night skies of Pyongyang three different times this month to drop anti-North Korean propaganda leaflets. It threatened to respond with force if such flights occur again. The aircraft allegedly found in Pyongyang was likely one of the drones that were used to drop leaflets, North Korea's Defense Ministry .
Senior administration official stated that the US has previously warned Beijing about the network, countering Chinese claims that they are unaware of its existence
The deal involves India acquiring 31 predator drones, of which 15 will go to the Indian Navy and 16 will be distributed among the Indian Army and Air Force
The social media ads promised the young African women a free plane ticket, money and a faraway adventure in Europe. Just complete a computer game and a 100-word Russian vocabulary test. But instead of a work-study programme in fields like hospitality and catering, some of them learned only after arriving on the steppes of Russia's Tatarstan region that they would be toiling in a factory to make weapons of war, assembling thousands of Iranian-designed attack drones to be launched into Ukraine. In interviews with The Associated Press, some of the women complained of long hours under constant surveillance, of broken promises about wages and areas of study, and of working with caustic chemicals that left their skin pockmarked and itching. To fill an urgent labor shortage in wartime Russia, the Kremlin has been recruiting women aged 18-22 from places like Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, South Sudan, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, as well as the South Asian country of Sri Lanka. The drive is expanding
According to the Israeli military, airstrikes were carried out on several Hezbollah intelligence and weapons storage sites within the Lebanese capital
The Israel Defence Forces confirmed intercepting a UAV several kilometres off the coast of Tel Aviv
Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed Monday they shot down another American-made MQ-9 Reaper drone over the country, with videos purportedly showing a surface-to-air missile striking it. The US military did not immediately acknowledge losing any aircraft. The claimed attack comes as the one-year anniversary of the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip approaches. The Houthis have targeted ships travelling through the Red Sea over the war as US-led airstrikes pound their positions in Yemen. That's imperiled a waterway that typically sees USD 1 trillion of trade pass through it, as well as crucial shipments of aid to war-torn Sudan and Yemen. The Houthis also continue to launch missiles targeting Israel, drawing retaliatory airstrikes from the Israelis this weekend on the port city of Hodeida. The Houthi-run broadcaster Al-Masirah claimed shooting down the MQ-9, hours after video footage circulated online showing the purported missile striking the aircraft over Yemen's Saada province. A single
Home-grown telecom firm HFCL has been selected by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Incorporated to develop and supply critical sub-systems for the US-based defence technology firm's advanced unmanned aircraft systems, the company said on Sunday. HFCL is developing drone detection radar, which is expected to become a crucial element in modern drone detection systems. "In a significant development that underscores HFCL's technical prowess and commitment, the company has been selected to develop and supply critical sub-systems for GA-ASI's advanced Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). This partnership marks a milestone in HFCL's journey, as it becomes a key contributor to one of the world's most sophisticated unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)," HFCL said. The company's subsidiary, Raddef, has been developing portable and deployable advanced radar and radio frequency (wireless) solutions across various terrains. "Our selection by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Incorporated to devel
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 .
Manipur Police on Saturday said it deployed anti-drone systems in response to recent drone and rocket attacks on civilians, the announcement coinciding with reports of fresh violence in Jiribam district that resulted in five deaths. Briefing reporters here, inspector general of police (Intelligence) K Kabib said a robust anti-drone system has been deployed and police are in the process of buying additional weapons to counter the attacks on civilians. "The state force is closely monitoring the situation and senior officers have been deployed on the ground. Due to the recent drone attacks, an anti-drone system has been deployed and the state police are in the process of purchasing additional anti-drone guns, which will be deployed soon," he said. He added that army helicopters are conducting aerial patrols, and security personnel have been deployed in vulnerable areas. He added, "The combing operations on both sideshills and valleyhave been intensified, focusing on areas from which .
Andhra Pradesh has launched a pioneering effort to use drones for flood relief operations, marking a significant shift in the country's disaster management approach, the government said on Thursday. The Union Civil Aviation Ministry said drones capable of carrying payloads up to 40 kg have been deployed in Vijayawada city to deliver essential supplies in areas currently inaccessible by traditional means. The drone technology has vast potential to ensure "timely and effective responses to emergencies", Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said in a statement. "In the future, we will expand the use of drones beyond surveillance and agricultural applications to include dedicated models for disaster relief," he added. The ministry stated drones are being sourced from various parts of the country to further strengthen the relief efforts. The minister, who inspected the drones alongside the Drones Corporation of Andhra Pradesh on September 3, is actively engaging with manufacturers t
An 'appropriate methodology' with the necessary technical evaluation criteria is being devised to prevent the inclusion of Chinese parts and electronics in these drones