Drone Takeoff

Four years after the regulatory crackdown, drones are set to rise from the shadows as government releases a roadmap for opening up the skies.

- Manu Kaushik

IT’S PERHAPS the largest drone manufacturer in the country but Navi Mumbai-based idea Forge was a typical start-up till not too long ago. It was founded by four friends from IIT-Bombay, who built the world’s smallest and lightest autopilot – the brain inside a drone system – and the first indigenous micro unmanned aerial vehicle. The technology gave them entry into defence, particularly the Defence Research & Development Organisation, which gave them their first big order. Today, idea Forge says it supplies over 90 per cent of drones procured by the government.

IdeaForge’s focus on the government is not incidental. The government has been the biggest legitimate procurer of drones in India ever since a Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) notice in 2014 prohibited their use for civilian purposes, killing at birth what could have been a huge industry, helping tens of different sectors, by now. For instance, in 2014 Amazon had announced that it would make India a test bed for Prime Air Service, its drone delivery arm. The plan could not go anywhere. Mumbai-based Fransesco’s Pizzeria tried to deliver a pizza on a drone but ran into police.

However, all this is set to change with the new drone regulations 1.0 – which allow operators to fly after taking clearance through a mobile app – that kicked in from December 1 last year. The easing of the rules is expected to trigger a boom in the use of drones by both enterprises (public/private) and private service providers.