When Indian war drones beat Pakistan & Co.

Can you discuss the details of your participation in Operation Sindoor and how it helped to give India a military edge?

Our Ajeet Mini Drones were used for enhancement of localised situational awareness by surveillance patrols. Ajeet Mini is a fully designed and manufactured in India Micro drone that is the equivalent of the famous Chinese DJI drone that was being used by frontline Army units for what is known as “Over The Hill Situational Awareness”.

These drones in backpacks apart from being the foot soldiers go to tool for enhanced situational awareness are designed on a “Transformer” concept that covers a weight range from the smallest at around 1 kg to the largest at around 4 kgs.

Post Operation Sindoor, apart from the exponential increase in enquiries for India’s only DJI China equivalent drones ZUPPA is witnessing a huge jump in demand for its NavGati Autopilot given that it is India’s only secure drone flight controller which the Indian Army can use to introduce Cyber Secure swarming capabilities in its existing drone inventories immediately.

Wherever you see, there are military drones. Be it the Russia-Ukraine or Israel-Iran conflicts. Are drones now firmly the future of warfare? How will we stay one step ahead of our enemies?

All recent conflicts be it Russia-Ukraine or Israeli-Hamas or the Houthi’s have turned out to be Electronic Centric wars where the focus has been to gain a strategic advantage both tactically by interfering or accessing the control and communication systems of the adversaries equipment by exploiting vulnerabilities in the software/code layers of the equipment’s Cyber Physical Stack (CPS).This has been the case because of the fact that these wars for the very first time witnessed large scale deployment of drones and allied electronic centric equipment.

Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) drones and drones assembled from COTS components have turned conventional military doctrine on the head by flipping the cost factors of war from being escalative to being de-escalative, e.g., a $2000 drone can damage equipment costing millions of dollars, hence the established doctrine that was agnostic to the cost of equipment is replaced now with militaries looking to lower the cost of their equipment while maximising its striking power. This led to militaries looking to buy low-cost drones which in turn led to the large-scale infiltration of Chinese components into defence drones thanks to revenue driven “Traders with Screwdrivers” supplying them complete Chinese CKD drones.

The Indian drone industry is expected to contribute significantly to the national economy, with the market size projected to reach `15,000 crores by 2026.

The current impact of global drone geopolitics is not in India’s favour as was seen in Operation Sindoor where two global drone powers China and Turkey aligned with Pakistan and tested India’s capabilities in the New Age Technology of drones.

With Russia and Israel, two of India’s largest suppliers of defence equipment at war, India has to develop its own indigenous drone competencies to safeguard its national security interests”

What about the use of IoT and AI in drones? How will they change the character and usage of drones? Can swarm AI drones take care of entire missions? What about Kamikaze drones?

Today drones are accepted to be essential disruptors in future warfare. Features that will guide their evolution to be indispensable tools in the hands of soldiers will be greater autonomy, closed loop navigation, AI based terminal action, swarms, Visual Guidance and similar algorithm-based enhancements and adaptations. These will significantly enhance the soldier’s ability to act and respond to threats.

The future lies in multi mission swarms where drones with different payload carrying capabilities will be part of the same swarm to achieve different objectives within a single mission. Swarm drones can handle entire missions.

What is the future of drones when it comes to size, reach and materials used? What research is going on those counts?

The Indian drone market is anticipated to grow at a remarkable pace in the next five years, led by a mix of government encouragement, technological innovation, and growing demand from various industries. Growing usage of drones in agriculture, defence, logistics, and infrastructure is also anticipated to drive market growth. Advances in technology, especially in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), are making drone operations smarter and more efficient.

The Indian drone industry is expected to contribute significantly to the national economy, with the market size projected to reach ₹15,000 crores by 2026. This growth will lead to the creation of over 100,000 direct and indirect jobs. Manufacturing and assembly plants will generate employment in production and quality control, while increased demand for AI-driven drone solutions will create opportunities for software developers and data analysts. The expansion of drone-based services, including agricultural mapping, security, and logistics, will further boost employment in operations and maintenance.

Although Operation Sindoor demonstrated India’s ability to integrate advanced systems, it also highlighted the challenges that lie ahead. Three key areas of concentration are necessary to maintain this momentum:

• Deep-Tech R&D: India must boost semiconductor, cutting-edge material, and AI-on-the-Edge computing investment if it is to reduce reliance on import sources. Basic hardware innovation still requires significant policy and private sector support even with the progress in AI models.
• Scalable Ecosystems: Public-private sector alliances should go beyond mere procurement. India requires more dual-use technology testbeds, simulation labs, and regulatory sandboxes benefiting the civilian and military sectors.
• Cross-Sector Spillover: From medical logistics and infrastructure inspection to precision agriculture and disaster response, the benefits of military-grade technologies need to be applied for public good.

The hacking of India’s tactical drone on the western border on 23rd August 2024 turned out to be the proverbial last straw on the camel’s back for the Indian Army.

What are the dangers that our drones could be hijacked by the enemy?

India is a large country with hostile neighbours surrounding it on three sides, hence with drones emerging to be weapons of choice thanks to the asymmetric benefits delivered by them in modern warfare, it is an absolute must have from a national security perspective. As drones become more connected and data-driven, the risk of cyberattacks increases. Imported drone controllers have been particularly vulnerable to hacking, raising concerns about data integrity and operational security. Indian manufacturers are addressing this challenge by developing secure systems with real-time threat detection and encrypted communication channels.

The use of assembled agricultural drones by terrorists in Manipur drone bombings has seriously brought into focus the potential security threats of using Chinese components in Indian drones.

Cybersecurity threats are a growing concern as drones become more connected and data-driven. Secure communication protocols using AES-256 encryption, along with real-time threat detection powered by AI, are essential to prevent hacking. Blockchain technology can be employed to ensure the integrity of flight data and operational logs. ZUPPA’s expertise in secure vehicle tracking systems and AI-driven automation equips it to address these challenges effectively, ensuring data security and operational reliability.

The hacking of India’s tactical drone on the western border on 23rd August 2024 turned out to be the proverbial last straw on the camel’s back for the Indian Army which had been facing the same problem since 2022. The outcome of this incident was the complete suspension, cancellation and stoppage of all drone procurement of all drones for 6-7 months and the formulation of a cybersecurity framework by the Indian Army and a crackdown on use of Chinese components in drones supplied to the Indian Army.

I believe that this momentum could enable India to become a worldwide hub for drone manufacturing, which would increase exports and create local high-tech employment opportunities.

Cyber-resilient architecture ensures that operational data remains protected, even in high-risk environments. This focus on security makes Indian drones ideal for sensitive applications in defence and critical infrastructure. By positioning cybersecurity as a key differentiator, Indian manufacturers can build trust and drive broader adoption in global markets.

Thanks to both these incidents and the learning of the armed forces post Operation Sindoor, ZUPPA’s unique position as India’s only indigenous Deep Tech drone company has significantly strengthened our position in the defence drone ecosystem. Hence ZUPPA’s largest vertical is turning out to be defence and will continue to be best in the foreseeable future given our very high entry barrier in that segment.

How much role will drones play in India’s Mission2047 to become a tech and economic superpower? How is the Make in India mission going when it comes to drones?

The Indian drone industry is poised to evolve rapidly over the next decade. Urban Air Mobility (UAM) with passenger drones and air taxis is expected to become a reality. Swarm technology, where coordinated drone fleets work together for complex tasks, will enhance defence and disaster management capabilities. Integration with 5G networks will enable faster data transfer and real-time control. Hybrid drones combining fixed-wing and multirotor capabilities will provide greater range and versatility.

India’s drone sector needs to create a completely self-sufficient system to maintain long-term development. This would boost national supply chains, lower dependence on foreign components, and support next-generation technology research and development.

This process depends largely on government assistance. Already advancing is the Indian government’s focus on indigenization via defence procurement policies and rewards for domestic manufacturing. India can increase strategic autonomy and lower exposure to global supply chain disturbances by creating a strong domestic economy.

India is positioning itself as a key player in this transformation. Though still in an early phase, its native drone market is fast-growing. Analysts estimate that the Indian drone market is worth roughly $1.15 billion in 2024 and is likely to rise at a rate of 20% annually until 2030. An EY-FICCI study suggests that by 2030, properly developed India’s drone manufacturing and services output could be valued at about $23 billion. Changing geopolitics and a strong Atmanirbhar (self-reliance) push have driven a boom in new startups and government support in the sector. I believe that this momentum could enable India to become a worldwide hub for drone manufacturing, which would increase exports and create local high-tech employment opportunities. Considering all factors, India possesses the necessary demand base and skill pool to become a significant player in the upcoming unmanned aircraft sector.

sunilr@cybermedia.co.in