China's components are no longer allowed in Indian-made military drones due to security concerns, according to Reuters.
This comes at a time of heightened tension between the two nuclear-armed nations and as New Delhi works toward a military modernization plan that calls for the use of unmanned quadcopters, long-endurance systems, and other autonomous platforms.
Prohibited Chinese Drone Components
Indian defense and industry officials have stated that local security agencies are concerned that intelligence gathering could be jeopardized if Chinese-made components were used in drones' communication functions, cameras, radio transmission, or operating software.
Reuters initially reported India's strategy, which is being conducted through military bids and includes progressive import limits on surveillance drones starting in 2020.
According to documents acquired by Reuters, Indian military officials informed prospective bidders at two meetings in February and March that equipment or subcomponents from "countries sharing land borders with India will not be acceptable for security reasons." Officials in the military were not named in the records.
Reportedly, suppliers must reveal the provenance of the components used in such subsystems because of "security loopholes" that might expose sensitive military information. A senior Indian defense source told Reuters that despite fears of cyberattacks, the country's industrial sector had grown more reliant on China. On the other hand, Beijing insists it had nothing to do with the attacks.
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Struggle in the Manufacturing System
To counter what he sees as growing dangers, notably from China, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has worked to expand India's drone capacity.
India has budgeted 1.6 trillion rupees ($19.77 billion), of which 75% would go to local manufacturers, to modernize its armed forces from 2023 to 2024.
However, government and industry analysts say that the embargo on Chinese parts has increased the cost of building military drones in the country by requiring manufacturers to acquire components elsewhere.
Small drones for the Indian military are supplied by Bengaluru-based NewSpace Research and Technologies, whose creator, Sameer Joshi, claims that 70% of the supply chain's items are created in China.
He noted that some firms were still importing material from China but white-labeling it and keeping the costs within that frame instead of switching to a non-Chinese pipeline, significantly increasing expenses.
Due to a lack of expertise in drone production, India imports components and whole systems from other countries.
According to Y. Dilip, head of the state-run Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), the government-funded endeavor to create an indigenous Medium Altitude Long Endurance unmanned system has been pushed back by at least half a decade.
Dilip stated that although the Tapas platform has fulfilled most specifications, further work is required to make it the military's ideal drone, which can operate at 30,000 feet and stay in the air for 24 hours.
