The Times of India reported on February 9 that in order to promote "Made in India" drones, India banned the import of drones from other countries from the same day - except for drone parts.
Officials from aviation industry authorities claim that the ban will exempt drone imports for research and development, defense and security purposes, but must be properly licensed. The official also said that "now is a good time to invest in India's drone industry."
Bloomberg noted in a related report that India relaxed regulations on the use of drones last year, making it easier to obtain flight permits, while also allowing heavier payloads. Bloomberg even claimed that the change could allow the unmanned aerial vehicle to be used as an "unmanned flying taxi." In addition, the Modi government also plans to provide a subsidy of 1.2 billion rupees (about 100 million yuan) to the Indian drone industry as an "incentive" to attract global drone manufacturers to produce products in India and export them to other regions.
In addition to "promoting Made in India", the Indian media did not specifically mention other reasons for the drone import ban. But Bloomberg turned the conversation to Chinese-made drones in its report, saying "there are concerns that Chinese drones could pass sensitive data to Chinese intelligence agencies." ”
Since 2017, Pakistan has repeatedly shot down drones from the Indian military in border clashes with India, and a considerable number of these drones are suspected to have come from the well-known Chinese civilian drone brands mentioned above.
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