India's Drone Strategy: Navigating a Shifting Global Market and Seizing the Indo-Pacific Opportunity
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: Science & Technology (Defence Technology - Drones), International Relations (Missile Technology Control Regime - MTCR, Indo-Pacific region).
Mains:
GS Paper 2: India and its neighborhood- relations; Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.
GS Paper 3: Science and Technology- developments and their applications in defence; Indigenization of technology and developing new technology; Security challenges and their management in border areas.
Key Highlights from the News
Change in War Strategy: Recent conflicts like the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict demonstrate that drones (UAVs/UCAVs) are crucial not only for surveillance but also for precision strikes.
India's Requirements:
Maritime Domain Awareness capability.
Ability to conduct high-altitude surveillance along the China and Pakistan borders.
India's Current Deployments:
Decided to purchase 31 MQ-9B Reaper drones from the US.
Utilizes drones like Heron and Harop from Israel.
Shift in Global Drone Market:
Due to strict adherence to the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), the US lags behind China and Turkey in drone exports. This creates a market vacuum.
Opportunity for India:
Other Indo-Pacific countries (Vietnam, Philippines, Taiwan) that fear China need drones.
India has an opportunity to become a major supplier, developing and providing drones to these countries while meeting its own needs.
Way Forward: Cooperation with Israel and technology-sharing regimes with like-minded countries will help India increase its domestic drone manufacturing capabilities.
COMMENTS