India must boost production capacity for military-grade drones: Defence Secretary
Live Events
(You can now subscribe to our
(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel
Highlighting the role of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in modern warfare Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh has said that India must boost its production capacity for military-grade drones. He noted that the Centre wants to cut the defence procurement cycle to a maximum of two years and the government will come up with a new Defence Acquisition Procedure DAP 2025) in six months."I would say that India has a significant manufacturing ecosystem for drones, but a lot of it is really for civilian drones. Military-grade drones, not so much. There are, I would say, three to four, five manufacturers who have some capacity in that area. It's something we'll have to build up quickly," Singh told in an interview."And to the extent that, like all military purchases, it's a monopsony. The government is the only buyer. And I guess the government will have to use its buying power to provide the resources and give visibility in terms of orders to that sort of small ecosystem, which hopefully will gradually become a large ecosystem of military-grade drone manufacturers," he added.He said that military-grade drone production in the country needs some transfer of technology, as a lot of the technology may not be available domestically."I would say that we are looking at least three to four manufacturers who are coming up with this type of capacity in terms of military grade drones. We will encourage them through orders and through tenders so that they can start investing in this area even more, including tying up with a lot of the technologies from outside," he said."The volume that we can generate in terms of the size of the orders that can be bigger than the combined turnover of all the other civilian drone manufacturers in the country. That type of ensuring that they have a full order book if they make investments for inter-military grade drones, we will try to ensure by speeding up procurement and by giving them visibility in terms of orders," he added.The Defence Secretary said he would like to see a situation where the maximum time taken for any procurement, even the most complex ones, should not exceed about two years."Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020 is a very bulky book. It's a bible for the defence industry. We need to make it simpler. A lot of redundant steps can be avoided. A lot of things can be done concurrently rather than sequentially. And a lot of simplification in terms of the kind of companies that can bid, where we've put in some unnecessary conditionalities, all those have to be removed," he said."So, for that, we have a committee now working. The target date is six months from today. So you'll have a new DAP. It will be DAP-25 rather than DAP-20," he added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
39 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Yeida: Audit report on stuck JAL projects due by July 16
The Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (Yeida) on Friday said it has directed consultant firm Currie & Brown to begin study and audit work of stalled Jaiprakash Associates Limited's (JAL's) 12 housing projects and submit the report by July 16. Yeida hired the agency in May for a survey to determine the exact status of the stalled housing projects. (Sunil Ghosh/HT photo) Yeida hired the agency in May for a survey to determine the exact status of the stalled housing projects including apartment towers and plotted development, but JAL failed to complete the survey citing fund crunch, said officials. Thousands of homebuyers are stuck in 12 stalled residential projects of Jaypee Associates Limited along the Yamuna Expressway. The case goes back to 2008, when Yeida allotted about 1,000 hectares of land under the Special Development Zone (SDZ) to Jaypee International Sports, a subsidiary of JP Associates, to build a sports city. The process was halted when JAL challenged the Allahabad high court order in the Supreme Court. Now the matter is pending before the Supreme Court. However since there is no 'stay' over the HC order the Yeida is continuing implementation of the order's directives, said officials. 'We have officially signed an agreement with the Currie & Brown that has been given a month's time to survey and submit the audit by July 16 so that we can get the exact status of the site. The agency in its report will provide the details of the total number of units proposed, and plots planned in JAL's project that was part of Formula One's sports city project. The report will contain the latest details including how many apartments are to be finished and delivered, and how many plots are proposed, and how many plots' possession is given etc,' said Arun Vir Singh, chief executive officer of the Yeida. The Yeida wants to know what percentage of work is incomplete and finished on apartment towers, and also of the plotted area, said Singh. 'Once we have these details, we can figure how much time it will take to complete and deliver the projects, and how much funds we require to deliver justice to thousands of homebuyers. We will be having the exact deadline of all the towers and plotted areas to share with the buyers. Once the survey is done we will also finalize the developer to be engaged to finish and deliver the projects,' said Singh. The project included the Buddh International Circuit, which hosted a MotoGP race in 2023, and several residential developments that were never completed. 'Due to non-payment of dues, Yeida cancelled the land allotment in February 2020. Earlier this year, the Allahabad High Court upheld this cancellation and directed the authority to take over and complete the housing projects,' said Singh. 'We booked a flat in this project in 2011 with hope to get the possession in 2014. But we are still waiting for justice. In 2020 the Yeida cancelled the lease of the project land. JAL took the matter to Allahabad High court that has ordered the Yeida to build the project. Now we hope that we get the possession as the Yeida has assured us, and it is ready to infuse the funds. There are around 8,000 homebuyers who are in distress due to the fault of the Jaypee Associates Limited,' said Shamendra Singh, general secretary of Jaypee Sports City welfare society. The high-level oversight committee includes the Principal secretary of industrial development, the Chairman of UP RERA, a nominated representative, Yeida CEO Arun Vir Singh, a representative from the housing department, and the authorised homebuyer representative. The authority also plans to go ahead with developing international-standard sports infrastructure as originally planned, as per the high court order. As per the Allahabad high court order the Jaiprakash associates Limited has lost the project as the order upheld the Yeida's decision to cancel the lease. Now the Yeida has the lease in its name, and a mandate to build the project.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Yeida issues Letter of Intent to Dixon Tech for phone manufacturing unit
The Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (Yeida) on Friday said it has issued a letter of intent (LoI) to Dixon Technologies to set up a manufacturing unit on 22.54 acres of land in the proposed Electronics Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) in Sector 10 near the Noida International Airport. Workers assemble electronic parts at a Dixon Technologies facility in Noida in May 2025. (REUTERS) 'Dixon will use the site to manufacture mobile phones, consumer electronics, telecom equipment, lighting products, and white goods. The company is the fourth major player to receive an LoI in this EMC, which is part of the central government's EMC 2.0 scheme. Before Dixon, two other companies have recently received LOIs to set up units in the cluster. Ascent-K Circuit, a subsidiary of Amber Enterprises India Ltd, will set up a facility on 16 acres to make high-end printed circuit boards (PCBs). Aurionpro ToshiAutomatic Systems has been given five acres for making smart transit systems and industrial automation products,' said Arun Vir Singh, chief executive officer of Yeida. Yeida said that the Sector 10 EMC already got in-principle approval from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) in April 2025 during its seventh project review committee meeting, with Havells India Ltd as the anchor unit across 50 acres. According to the LoI issued on June 20, Singh told Dixon that their proposal has been approved with the rider that the final allotment will depend on clearance from the Invest UP Empowered Committee and compliance with state policies and rules. 'Land acquisition is underway and more provisional LoIs are being issued. With Dixon's entry, we hope the Sector 10 EMC will become a major electronics manufacturing hub in north India, creating many job opportunities and attracting more investment,' said Singh. The Uttar Pradesh government and Yeida are also pushing forward with other major industrial developments in sectors near the airport. 'Amber Enterprises is set to receive 100 acres in Sector 8 for a separate electronics and home appliances unit. Together, Amber and Ascent-K Circuit are expected to invest about ₹ 4,000 crore in the region. These projects will fuel growth in this region, and create huge business opportunities,' said Singh.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Airspace Restrictions in West Asia: As Routes Shift, Flight Fares Goon Steep Ascent
Air fares from India to several international destinations have risen sharply in the past month, travel companies said, potentially intensifying worries for travellers especially families looking to head out for the summer holidays. Airline operating costs are getting impacted by airspace closures due to the Israel-Iran conflict, forcing longer flight detours, and fuel price volatility, the companies said, adding lower seat capacity on certain routes is also weighing on the ticket prices. Fares could rise further if route diversions and impact on flight frequencies continue, the companies said. Europe is likely to see the sharpest fare hikes, especially for routes to France, Germany and UK, said Jatinder Paul Singh, global CEO of Viacation, a travel solutions provider. 'From India, airfares to Europe have gone up by 20–35% between March and July based on forward bookings data.' Singh also noted short-term fare hikes on flights to some destinations in the Middle East. 'In North Asia, Japan and South Korea have also become significantly more expensive to reach,' he said. A one way, non-stop Air France ticket for Delhi to Paris for July 1 costs about Rs 64,000 on a popular travel portal. A one way, non-stop Air India ticket for Mumbai to Japan for the same date costs ₹101, 698 per adult on the same website. Ongoing geopolitical tensions in West Asia have resulted in temporary airspace restrictions, leading to longer flight durations on certain routes by two to four hours, increasing operational costs of airlines, and prompting 15-20% fare hikes on certain routes, said Bharatt Malik, senior VP, flights and hotel business at Yatra Online, an online travel company. Last week, Air India diverted or recalled around 16 flights on transatlantic and European routes as Iran closed its airspace after Israel launched an attack targeting its nuclear and military sites. The Iranian airspace currently remains shut to most international flights. A June 15 advisory by IndiGo, India's largest airline, said due to the airspace curbs, flight routes to and from the Gulf region were experiencing congestion which may cause delays on certain sectors. 'As we continue to operate via alternate paths, extended travel times may be expected,' the airline in a post on X. In an update on Thursday, Air India announced a temporary reduction in services operated by Boeing 787 and 777 aircraft from June 21 till at least July 15. The suspended routes include Delhi-Nairobi, Amritsar-London, Goa-London, while routes with reduced frequency include Delhi-Washington, Delhi-San Francisco, Delhi-Toronto, and Delhi-Tokyo. For some carriers, airfares for Dubai and Abu Dhabi are 10-15% higher from a month ago, while those to Japan and South Korea are 5-10% higher, said Abraham Alapatt, president and group head for marketing, service quality, value added services and innovation at travel company Thomas Cook (India).
