India has prohibited the domestic military drone manufacturers from using components made in China over concerns about security vulnerabilities, according to four defence and industry officials and documents reviewed by Reuters.
Three of these people and some of the six other government and industry figures interviewed by Reuters spoke on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to talk to the media or because of the topic’s sensitivity.
Also, India’s defence ministry did not respond to Reuters questions.
India relies on foreign manufacturers for both parts and entire systems as it lacks the know-how to make certain types of drones.
Rather, as of now, India is hugely dependent on US, China, and Europe for specific components for drones like BLDC motors (brushless motors) and electronic controllers etc.
Noteworthy, the Indian UAV market comprising of both commercial and defence was around Rs 2,900 Crores up to 2020, and is expected to see a massive growth reaching Rs 81,600 Crores by 2025 growing at a CAGR of 80%, followed by a CAGR of 35% in 2025 to 2030 to reach Rs 1,77,000 Crores. Refer Fig.
