The Indian aircraft industry was on the verge of decline because of high fares and pricey flights. But now times have changed, now the industry is booming and even the unheard-of technologies such as drones have begun to dominate airline sector.
India takes over China’s drone market
According to a study in the Times of India, the order value of Indian civilian drones is expected to skyrocket in the next decades. Foreign clients have begun to place orders for made-in-India drones. ASCL, the largest drone manufacturer in Japan, has partnered with Aerodyne to produce export-ready drones in India. Aerodyne already has a production facility in Tamil Nadu, and it has chosen to at least increase its manufacturing capacity in response to high export demand.
“There is huge faith in Indian technology and trust in India,” said Arjun Aggarwal, MD of Aerodyne. We are now producing for the entire world in India, with orders coming in from Japan, Asia, and the Gulf, among other locations. There is a definite intention (read from China) to remove the old drone supply chain.”
Aerodyne isn’t the only firm involved in the drone export industry. Drones made in India are in great demand all around the world. Another major drone operator, Garuda Aerospace, has received orders for 12,000 drones. Malaysia, South America, Panama, and Africa account for the majority of these orders. Approximately 9,000 of them will be employed for agricultural tasks such as seed spraying.
Drones are important, according to Prime Minister Modi.
Even though India is still a newcomer in the drone industry, the fact that nations prefer it to established players like China demonstrates the amount of effort the country has put in to grow this sector. Indians used to be OK with seeing films of foreign drones bombing other nations. Few people in India believed that drones might be used for other purposes. In reality, the entire turnover of all domestic producers in September 2021 was only 60 crore.
PLI scheme for drones
PM Modi and his staff stepped in to help. They determined the extent to which drones may have a positive influence on Indians’ daily life. PM Modi, ever the visionary, included drone production under the PLI plan in September of last year. The PLI plan for drones and their components was authorised by the Indian government on September 15, 2021. For this, the government is offering a total compensation of Rs 120 crore.
In the next three years, the civil aviation ministry expects a total investment of Rs 5,000 crores. The drone manufacturing industry’s yearly sales turnover is predicted to increase from INR 60 crores in 2020-21 to over INR 900 crores in 2023-24. In the next three years, the drone manufacturing business alone is estimated to generate over 10,000 direct employment.
The Modi administration gave the industry another boost in February by making it simpler for Indians to fly drones. As the saying goes, you reap what you sow. India put a lot of money into drones, and the industry repaid the favour with faster-than-expected growth.
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