Drones
67 posts in this category.
Drone-as-a-service in India: the business model behind the drone economy
Drone-as-a-service in India has become the operating model behind commercial unmanned aviation across agriculture, logistics, infrastructure, and healthcare. Instead of buying aircraft fleets outright, operators and government departments now procure drone capability through pay-per-use, subscription, and outcome-linked contracts tied to measurable field performance.
Read article →What the Kisan Drone Scheme is and how it sits inside SMAM
The Kisan Drone Scheme is the Government of India's flagship subsidy framework for agricultural drone adoption under the Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanisation (SMAM). It funds farmers, Farmer Producer Organisations, Custom Hiring Centres and agricultural institutions through four subsidy tiers tied to DGCA-compliant agricultural drone procurement and Direct Benefit Transfer workflows.
Read article →Wireless Planning and Coordination (WPC) ETA for drones in India: the Wireless Planning Wing process
WPC ETA for drones in India is the wireless approval that civilian unmanned aircraft must clear before DGCA Type Certification, DGFT import authorisation, or eGCA registration will progress. Drones are excluded from the self-declaration shortcut and route through Regional Licensing Offices of the WPC Wing on the Saral Sanchar portal.
Read article →Drone import rules in India: why DJI is effectively banned
Drone import rules in India have made foreign consumer-drone imports functionally impossible since 9 February 2022. The CBU, SKD, and CKD prohibition leaves four legal pathways for Indian buyers: grandfathered pre-ban fleet, R&D exemption, indigenous procurement, and drone-as-a-service. This article explains the regulatory architecture and the enforcement shift that followed.
Read article →Who regulates drones in India: DGCA, MoCA, and the wider stack
Who regulates drones in India is no longer a one-agency answer. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation issues certificates. The Ministry of Civil Aviation owns policy. The Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam 2024 carries the statute. Six more authorities sit alongside, each controlling a different layer of every legal flight.
Read article →GeM portal for drone procurement: how India buys drones through GeM
GeM portal for drone procurement is now the mandatory procurement route for ministries, public sector units, AIIMS institutions, and state departments buying drones or drone-as-a-service in India. Rule 149 of the General Financial Rules framework converted GeM from a marketplace into a legally binding procurement gateway for unmanned systems, payloads, and drone operations.
Read article →Drone delivery in India: corridors, commercial economics, and the policy roadmap
Drone delivery in India has moved from sandbox trials into a regulated, corridor-bound logistics layer. India crossed two million cumulative drone deliveries by end-2025, six BVLOS corridors are operational, and the Civil Drone Bill released on 16 September 2025 has shifted focus toward nationwide compliance architecture and commercial scale.
Read article →Anti-drone systems in India: how they detect rogue UAVs
Anti-drone systems in India now combine radar, radio-frequency sensing, electro-optical imaging, and acoustic detection inside an AI-driven command layer. This explainer walks the detect-track-classify-mitigate chain, the indigenous platforms validated during Operation Sindoor, and what the sensor stack catches before a rogue UAV reaches a protected site.
Read article →How to register a drone on Digital Sky: the eGCA UIN walkthrough
Drone registration on Digital Sky now runs through the eGCA portal after the DGCA migrated core drone services in July 2025. The updated workflow uses Form D-2 for UIN issuance and BharatKosh for payments. This walkthrough covers the documents, the seven on-portal steps, BharatKosh failure modes, rejection reasons, and how UIN connects to NPNT flight permissions in India.
Read article →Namo Drone Didi Yojana: how India's women-led drone scheme works
Namo Drone Didi Yojana is India's central sector scheme to place 14,500 agricultural drones with women-led self-help groups by 2025-26. This guide maps the ₹1,261 crore allocation, the 80 per cent subsidy stack, the 15-day RPC training pathway, the state rollout, and the realistic per-acre income math.
Read article →Drones in agriculture in India: the operator's regulation and economics guide
Drones in agriculture are now the single largest application segment of the Indian unmanned aircraft market. This guide explains how Kisan Drone subsidies, the Drone Rules 2021 weight classes and Type Certification combine. It maps the operator playbook for spraying, scouting and precision-farming across Indian farms.
Read article →BVLOS operations in India: corridors, approvals, and the compliance stack
BVLOS operations in India remain the highest-value, lowest-served operational class inside the country's unmanned aviation framework. Six corridors are operational out of approximately 100 planned routes. This article maps the approval pathway, corridor inventory, detect-and-avoid stack, pilot endorsement, and the regulatory direction shaping long-range drone operations across India.
Read article →Geo-fencing and Remote ID for Indian drones in 2026
Geo-fencing drone India compliance now depends on firmware behaviour, Schedule II airworthiness requirements, and operator-side enforcement discipline. Drone Remote ID India policy remains incomplete despite mandatory geo-fencing under Drone Rules 2021. The gap matters more after the retirement of hard-stop commercial geo-fence systems in late 2025.
Read article →Drone penalties and fines in India: schedule, enforcement, and operator response
Drone penalties and fines in India now extend beyond administrative challans into aviation enforcement, privacy liability, and criminal exposure. A single unauthorised flight can trigger parallel action under Drone Rules 2021, the Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam 2024, and the Digital Personal Data Protection framework. The enforcement process matters as much as the fine itself.
Read article →Drone Insurance in India: The Complete Guide to Costs, Coverage & Civil Drone Bill Liability
Drone insurance is mandatory in India for drones heavier than 250g, including Micro, Small, Medium, and Large categories, under the Drone Rules 2021. Operators must have third-party liability coverage for property damage, injury, or accidents caused during drone operations. Basic third-party insurance plans usually start around ₹4,000 to ₹5,000. Comprehensive drone insurance with wider coverage can cost ₹10,000 or more depending on the drone type and operational risk.
Read article →Remote Pilot Certificate in India - what it is, who needs one, and how DGCA issues it
A Remote Pilot Certificate (RPC) is mandatory in India for operating drones above 250 grams for commercial use. The certificate is issued by the DGCA after training at an authorized Remote Pilot Training Organization (RPTO). It remains valid for 10 years. Applicants must be between 18 and 65 years old, pass at least the 10th standard, and hold a valid Aadhaar card or passport.
Read article →Types of Drones: Classified by Design, Weight, Range, Altitude and Use Case
Drones (UAVs) are mainly classified into four types based on their structure and flight capability. These include multi-rotor drones, fixed-wing drones, single-rotor drones, and hybrid VTOL drones. Multi-rotor drones are the most common and offer stable, agile flight. Fixed-wing drones support long-range and high-endurance missions. Single-rotor drones are used for heavy payload operations. Hybrid VTOL drones combine vertical take-off with efficient forward flight for versatile missions.
Read article →What are FPV drones? How they work, types, and India use cases (2026)
FPV drones moved from hobbyist racing aircraft to frontline combat systems within four years. Their live-video control model, low manufacturing cost, and high manoeuvrability changed how militaries, industrial operators, and civilian pilots use unmanned aircraft. This article explains how FPV drones work, where they are used, and why India's drone ecosystem now treats them as a strategic capability.
Read article →What is Kamikaze Drone and How Does it Work
A kamikaze drone, also known as a loitering munition, is a one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). It is designed to locate, track, and destroy targets by crashing into them and detonating an onboard warhead. These drones combine surveillance, target identification, and strike capability in a single system. They are often operated remotely, allowing high-precision attacks at lower cost compared to traditional missile systems.
Read article →NPNT explained: how No Permission No Takeoff locks every Indian drone before takeoff
“No Permission – No Take-off” (NPNT) is a mandatory drone compliance framework in India. It is a software-based system linked to the Digital Sky Platform. Under this rule, all drones except Nano drones must receive valid digital permission before take-off. The system automatically checks flight authorization before allowing the drone to fly. NPNT helps improve airspace safety, compliance, and regulated drone operations in India.
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