Overview
- Air Chief Marshal A P Singh, speaking Thursday at a SIDM workshop in New Delhi, warned that "technology delayed is technology denied" and urged rapid, end-to-end domestic development of unmanned aerial systems and critical components.
- He said talks are under way with the Ministry of Civil Aviation and other ministries to create systems that can identify authorised drones and distinguish them from rogue craft.
- Singh pressed certification bodies to shorten testing and approval timelines so new drone technologies leave labs and enter service faster.
- The chief highlighted operational limits of current small drones, saying low payloads and high failure rates make mass employment, miniaturised subsystems, stealth and survivability enhancements essential for mission success.
- He called for a whole-of-nation effort that links the armed forces, manufacturers, regulators, researchers and investors to build sovereign cyber stacks, indigenous AI and secure supply chains; no formal policy was announced but the remarks signal coordinated government and industry action ahead.