Drones Are Force Multiplier In Surveillance, Logistics & Armament Deployment: CSO, Scandron

The Indian Army has recently initiated a series of fast-track drone purchase attempts under emergency powers, with each programme costing up to Rs 300 crore.

Last year on 16 October, the Army launched two tenders to buy 363 drones in keeping with the line to fight future battles using indigenous solutions. This order includes 163 high-altitude drones, with 200 destined for middle altitudes. The Army intends that 60 per cent of any system should be made from indigenous materials.

Indian drone manufacturers also see an opportunity to expand as the military seeks more indigenous products. One of the Indian companies, Scandron is in the business of making military and commercial drones. 

India’s drone industry is fledgling with roughly USD 50 million in investments and the last fiscal year was recorded as the strongest year yet for the drone industry.

Drone start-ups received USD 49.7 million in funding across 20 rounds in FY2022-23, compared to USD 25 million in funding across 23 rounds in FY2021-22. According to Tracxn Technologies data, the number for FY2020-21 was USD 11.2 million spread across 20 rounds.

In an exclusive interview with BW, Sanjeev Bhandari, founder and CSO of Scandron said that drones have become the force multiplier in terms of surveillance, logistics and armament deployment and the private sector is now leading the charge in India in terms of developing drones to address all these requirements. 

India has now become an alternative for sourcing arms for developing nations and drones developed by the Private Sector will provide a significant and diverse product portfolio for export to developing countries and markets, according to Bhandari.

Furthermore, he appreciates the Indian Government and said, it has laid down clear policies and procedures for the type of certification and usage of drones which makes developing and manufacturing drones easier as the process is standardised. However, he also showed his concern as import policies for components are still not clear and said that there are still many hurdles for importing components which are not available in India. 

According to him, the biggest challenge facing the drone industry in the defence sector is the high cost of entry and the tendering process is intricate and time-consuming.

He also told about his products that will lead the market in terms of technology and customer offerings. “We are targeting to be the market leader for logistics drones in India and aim to make significant inroads into the international drone logistics market,” he added.