drone | Business Upturn

BSF downs Pakistani drone in Amritsar, narcotics recovered

United News of India (UNI) — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 07:50:10 +0000

The Border Security Force has shot down a Pakistani drone in the Amritsar sector of Punjab.

BSF Public Relations Officer said here on Tuesday that on Monday at about 8.27 pm, alert BSF troops of 183 Bn BSF deployed at border heard a buzzing sound of suspected drone entering from Pakistan into Indian territory in the area falling near Chhana village.

As per drill, the troops tried to intercept the suspected drone by firing.

Bullet hit the drone and it fell on the ground. The whole area was cordoned off and police and other concerned agencies were informed.

During the preliminary search, the BSF party recovered a quadcopter (Make – DJI matrices) and suspected narcotics (about 2.5 kg) wrapped in a polybag, the official said.

Detail search of the area was also carried out.

Medical items delivery trials begin in Arunachal

Pranay Maniar — Mon, 15 Aug 2022 09:06:29 +0000

The State Government of Arunachal Pradesh and the World Economic Forum (WEF) have launched the trials of their Medicine in the Sky Initiative which aims to deliver medicines by drones to remote areas of the state.

Under the aforementioned initiative, a Bengaluru-based startup that manufactures drones has started pilot tests and trials of a drone services network to deliver medical supplies to the remote town of Seppa in East Kameng district, Arunachal Pradesh.

The network will be used to cater to the health services in the district where on-road medical services are difficult to maintain due to poor road infrastructure.

The drone delivery and services network is backed by the Samridh Healthcare Blended Financing Facility, an initiative backed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to finance small and medium community healthcare initiatives which is a part of the World Economic Forum (WEF)’s ‘Medicines From The Sky’ initiative.

This pilot drone delivery initiative in Arunachal’s East Kameng is an extension of the beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone delivery trials that began in Telangana, in partnership with the WEF. Several drone manufacturing start-ups like Redwing Aerospace, Skye Air Mobility and TechEagle were a part of 8 groups that conducted drone trials in Hyderabad last year.

Himanshu Sikka, project director of Samridh, said that the initiative continues trials in India to improve “supply chain shortcomings” in the healthcare sector.

Vignesh Santhanam, head of aerospace and drones at WEF, added that liberalized drone policies in India have allowed start-ups and other organizations in the country to “stress test” drone delivery systems, and the initial pilot project in Telangana has offered a precedent for more such tests across the country to follow.

Suspected Pakistani drone spotted by BSF Jawans in district of Jammu & Kashmir

Dipankar Ray — Thu, 09 Jun 2022 07:20:28 +0000

On Thursday, 9th June 2022 a suspected Pakistani Drone was spotted by a group of BSF Jawans in the Arnia District of Jammu and Kashmir. Moreover, during the early hours of the day, reported by PTI. The BSF Troops were reported of shooting various rounds of fire at the drone. The drone was at a height of 300 meters when the forces open fired. An extensive search has started in the Arnia district in search of explosives and other dangerous materials.

“A blinking light suspected to be from a drone was observed in Arnia area. (Along the International Border) about 04:15 hours today”. A BSF spokesperson said. “Alert BSF troops fired at the flying object which was at a height of about 300 meters, causing it to withdraw”. He added.

This drone spot came at perhaps the same time when Jammu & Kashmir Police had recovered parts of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Dropped by a Pakistani drone in the Kanchak District of the Jammu and Kashmir region. This drone was carrying a payload consisting of three magnetic IEDs. That were put inside a tiffin box. With the timer set to various intervals of 3 hours, 8 hours, and so on. Through a controlled explosion, the IED was disabled and dispersed by the BSF contingent.

Forces have also shot down several drones in the recent past in the Samba and Kathua districts of the J&K region. The payload carried by these drones were mostly consisting of IEDs, rifles, and ticky bombs. In April the BSF had shot down a drone entering from Pakistan. Wich was carrying a payload of heroin to deliver to Punjab’s Amritsar.

“The threat of drones is present everywhere along the Indo-Pakistan border but security forces are alert to foil any nefarious design from across the border in the region,” a senior BSF official told PTI on Monday.

The sticky bombs that were recovered from drones were also found in other places around the district. This has significantly increased the risk for the people in the region. Especially during the upcoming Amarnath yatra which is set to begin on June 30.

Adani gets a 50% investment in General Aeronautics, a drone business

Aryan Jakhar — Sat, 28 May 2022 08:13:09 +0000

Adani Enterprises’ wholly-owned subsidiary Adani Defence Systems and Technologies Ltd. struck a deal on Friday to buy a 50% ownership in Bengaluru-based General Aeronautics Pvt. Ltd.

“Adani Defence Systems and Technologies shall leverage its military drone and AI/ML capabilities and work with General Aeronautics for providing end-to-end solutions for domestic agricultural sector,” the conglomerate says in an exchange filing.

Adani’s joint venture with Israeli business Elbit Systems was picked in the first tentative list under the production-linked incentive (PLI) system for drones and drone components, and the deal is anticipated to close by July 31.

General Aeronautics is an end-to-end agri solutions company that was founded in 2016. It uses artificial intelligence and analytics to provide robotic drones and drone-based solutions for crop protection, crop health, precision farming, and yield monitoring in the agriculture sector.

After the stocks of the ports-to-power conglomerate’s listed companies boosted his fortunes, billionaire Gautam Adani went on an acquisition binge.

Adani Health Ventures was formed last week, marking the Adani group’s first venture into healthcare (AHVL). The new company will be involved in healthcare-related operations such as the establishment of medical and diagnostic facilities, as well as research centres.

Only four days prior, the Adani family had signed binding agreements to buy Holcim Ltd of Switzerland’s entire share in two Indian cement companies, Ambuja Cements Ltd and ACC Ltd. The combined value of the Holcim stock and open offer consideration for the two cement companies is estimated to be over $10.5 billion, making this Adani’s largest acquisition to date.

He conglomerate is also attempting to break into the news media industry. Adani Enterprises announced plans to buy a 49 percent share in Quintillion Business Media, the parent company of business news site BQPrime, earlier this month.

The Adani family has also agreed to invest $75 million in Borouge, an Abu Dhabi-based petrochemicals company, in its $2 billion initial public offering (IPO), which is expected to be the largest ever in the emirate.

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zones (APSEZ), India’s largest commercial port operator, said last month that its subsidiary Adani Harbour Services will buy a 100 percent ownership in third-party maritime services provider Ocean Sparkle Ltd, with an enterprise value of Rs 1,700 crore.

In April, Adani, the group’s chairman, surpassed Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates to become the world’s fourth richest person. Adani’s fortunes, on the other hand, have slipped marginally this month, leaving him just below Warren Buffett, the billionaire investor.

According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, the Gujarat-based tycoon’s fortune has increased by approximately $24 billion this year, making him the year’s highest gainer.

Since February, shares of Adani Wilmar, a 50:50 joint venture between Adani and Singapore-based Wilmar International, have risen by 165 percent.

Adani made his money in the coal sector before joining the billionaires club in April. Adani jumped on board the green energy bandwagon as soon as the government decided to phase out fossil fuels.

Adani Green Energy is on the verge of becoming the world’s largest solar power producer. Over the next decade, the company expects to invest 75 percent of its capital in green enterprises, including $20 billion in renewable, green component manufacturing and enabling infrastructure. By 2030, it intends to create 45 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity. In October, it acquired SB Energy, an 80:20 joint venture between Japan’s SoftBank Group and Bharti Group, for Rs 26,000 crore, the largest M&A in India’s renewable industry.

Adani Transmission is already India’s largest private utility in transmission and distribution, with a presence in 12 states and over three crore customers.

Adani also has an Indian Oil-Adani Gas joint venture, which is building city gas distribution networks in 19 cities. The group sold a 37.4 percent interest in Adani Gas to French energy giant Total for Rs 5,700 crore in October 2020, making it the country’s largest FDI in the city gas distribution market.

Government releases all-new Drone Rules 2021: Details here

Shivya Kumar — Thu, 26 Aug 2021 07:26:53 +0000

In a bunch of reformist guidelines which will essentially change the Indian scene for drones, the Center on Thursday gave new standards for their use in the country. The unwinding in rules specify, no exceptional status is presently needed before any enlistment or permit issuance for the activity of robots. While the expenses for authorizations to work drones has been diminished to ostensible levels, the new standards state.

Robot halls will be produced for load conveyances. It has been indicated that the inclusion of robots under Drone Rules 2021 has expanded from 300 kilograms to 500 kilograms to incorporate weighty payload-conveying robots and robot taxis, it added. A portion of the endorsements annulled under the new guidelines are incorporate one of a kind authorisation number, interesting model ID number, authentication of conformance, declaration of support, administrator grants, authorisation of Research and Development Association and far off pilot educator authorisation, the principles added.

The greatest punishment under Drone Rules, 2021 has been decreased to Rs one lakh. This will notwithstanding, not have any significant bearing on punishments in regard to infringement of different laws. The intuitive airspace map with green, yellow, and red zones will be shown on the advanced sky stage. The yellow zone has been decreased from 45 kilometres to 12 kilometres from the air terminal edge.

No consent is needed for working a robot in green zones and up to 200 feet nearby somewhere in the range of 8 and 12 km from the air terminal edge. Online enrollment, all things considered, will occur through the Digital Sky Platform. The simple cycle endorsed for move and de-enrollment of robots, it added.

A simple chance accommodated the regularization of existing robots in the country. No pilot permit is presently needed for working nano drones and miniature robots for non-business use, the standards state. Wellbeing highlights like ‘No authorization – no take-off’ (NPNT), ongoing following guide, geo-fencing and so on to be told in future. A base half-year lead time will be accommodated consistently.

All robot preparation and assessment are to be done by an approved robot school. Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will endorse preparing necessities, manage drone schools and give pilot licenses on the web, it added. Type Certification of robots designated to Quality Council of India and affirmation elements approved by it. No prerequisite of the type declaration, interesting ID number, earlier authorization and distant pilot permit for innovative work elements.

Notwithstanding, the import of robots will be managed by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT). Automated Aircraft Systems Promotion Council to be set up to work with a business-accommodating administrative system. Prior to July this year, the Ministry of Civil Aviation had delivered the refreshed ‘The Drone Rules, 2021’ for a public meeting.

IAF drone crash-landed in Gurdaspur’s Malogil village due to technical issue

Sneha Sengupta — Wed, 11 Aug 2021 06:39:01 +0000

An Israeli-made drone specially designed for the Indian Air Force has incidentally crash-landed due to an unruly technical snag in the mechanics. The IAF Searcher drone was found in Gurdaspur’s Malogil village in Punjab that reportedly arrived from the Jammu base (PoK).

According to the latest report published in The Tribune, the unknown drone turned out to be a remotely piloted aircraft (RPA), associated with the Jammu base of IAF. The preliminary details revealed by the police say that the pilot of the drone, with no weapons attached, supposedly lost control and as a result, the drone diverted towards the paddy fields.

The police administration had a hard time tackling the group of 500 villagers who gathered at the spot. The administration also sent PCR vehicles and motorcycles to take cognizance of the amplifying rumours that led to heavy chaos amongst the crowd. This action was initiated to curb the further spread of misinformation.

Earlier, there have been instances where drones from Pakistan intruded into our Indian spaces with attached ammunitions.

Gurdaspur’s SSP Nanak Singh derived the information regarding the drone from a source stating, “a big helicopter had fallen at a village after hovering in the sky for 10-15 minutes.”

However, the chaos was brought under control by the police officials averring that the landed drone is not dangerous.

Amit Shah says anti-drone solutions will be deployed soon

Diya S. — Sun, 18 Jul 2021 09:25:30 +0000

On July 17, according to the Times of India (TOI), Home Minister Amit Shah has said that anti-drone solutions were actively being worked upon by agencies including Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and would be deployed very soon for the advancement of border surveillance.

The announcement comes after the detection of 61 drone activities by the Border Security Force (BSF) on India’s western border in the past one year.

In addition, gaps in border fencing would be plugged by the year 2022. Shah claimed that it was Narendra Modi-led government that provided the country with an independent security policy where while resolving to maintain peace with all, gave a “befitting response” if a threat was posed to the borders or sovereignty of India.

With a major focus on the drone threat, he continued saying that DRDO as well as other agencies were busy in the development of anti-drone technologies.

During his address at BSF’s 18th Investiture Ceremony at Vigyan Bhawan in the national capital, the HM stated, “I am confident that we shall secure our borders soon with indigenous anti-drone solutions.”

Furthermore, Shah said border forces should be starting with the preparation of tackling other technology-led security challenges based on artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics.

He urged the security forces to put efforts in checking migration from border villages by ensuring the implementation of the benefits of development schemes.

Jammu: New restrictions imposed for use of drones by Baramulla administration

Aayushi Singh — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 18:24:54 +0000

The Baramulla administration has imposed new restrictions over the sale, transport, possession, storage, and use of the drones, the restrictions came almost a week after the drone attack at Jammu Air Force Base.

In an order issued by the office of the district magistrate Baramulla on July 6, it mentioned that any violation of the order would attract harsh actions.

The administration added that in the backdrop of the recent attack on the Air Force Station at Jammu by the use of drones, it was apprehended as an attempt to sabotage and that terrorists might with the help of technology like a drone try to hit their targets.

The order issued mentioned that it was found appropriate to impose reasonable restrictions on the storage, sale, possession, use, and transport of the drones or unmanned Aerial Vehicles in District Baramulla. It asked the people to discontinue the use of drones in all social and cultural gatherings to evade any risk of injury to the life and damage to property. It also stated that the persons already having the drones in their possession should ground the same in the local police station forthwith under a proper receipt.

The administration has however allowed the government departments and agencies to use the drones for the purpose of surveys, mapping, surveillance in the agricultural, environmental conservation, and Disaster Mitigation sectors only after taking a permission from the local police.

Two low-intensity blasts occurred at Jammu airbase on June 27, where two Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel suffered minor injuries, and the explosions were reported in the technical area.

US forces attack a drone above their embassy in Baghdad

Aayushi Singh — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 06:49:20 +0000

On Monday night, the US forces show down an armed drone above their embassy in Baghdad, the Iraqi Security officials said that hours after a rocket attack on a base housing the US soldiers in the west of the country.

The American defense systems fired the rockets into the air in Baghdad with the Iraqi security sources saying that the salvos took out a drone that was loaded with explosives.

47 attacks since the beginning of the year had targeted US interests in the country where the American troops were deployed as part of an international coalition to fight the jihadist Islamic State Group.

Six of them involved these kinds of drones, a tactic that had been posed as a headache for the coalition as the aircraft could evade the air defenses.

In April, a drone packed with explosives hit the coalition’s Iraq headquarters in the military part of the airport in Arbil, the Iraqi Kurdish regional capital. The next month, a drone packed with explosives hit the Ain Al-Asad airbase housing US troops.

Three explosives-loaded drones targeted Baghdad airport on June 9, where the US soldiers were also deployed. One of them had been intercepted by the Iraqi army. The US offered up to $3 million for information on attacks targeting its interests in Iraq recently.

On Monday, the jihadist coalition said that three rockets targeted an Iraqi Air Base in the western desert that also housed US Troops and that the attack had targeted the base at Ain-al-Assad without causing any casualties.

PM Modi reviews the Light House Project in 6 states via drones

Aayushi Singh — Sat, 03 Jul 2021 12:21:19 +0000

On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviewed the Light House Project under the Global Housing Technology Challenge-India, which is a programme that seeks to build over 1,000 houses in 12 months. PM Modi used drones to review projects across the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone on January 1 for the affordable housing program and said that the project was driven by modern technology and innovative processes, which seeks to build over a thousand houses each across 6 sites and across in 6 states within 12 months.

He said that the houses that were being built under the program would take lesser time to build and would be affordable, resilient, and comfortable. Adding to that, he said that construction practices from France, Germany, and Canada would be followed and put into practice.

The Light House Project was being constructed at Indore, Rajkot, Chennai, Ranchi, Agartala, and Lucknow.

In Indore, the project would not have brick or mortar walls, instead, a prefabricated sandwich panel system would be used and the houses under the program in Rajkot would be built using a French Technology, the monolithic concrete construction technology using tunnels would be used and the houses would be more capable to withstand disasters.

In Lucknow, a Canadian Technology was being used in which plaster and paint would no longer be required in construction, instead, the houses would be built from already prepared walls for a faster construction process, and the construction of these would be done in Chenna using the US and Finland’s precast concrete system for faster and cheaper construction. Whereas in Ranchi, the use of a German 3D construction system would be used to build the houses and each room would be separately made and then the entire structure would be added just as Lego block toys. The houses were being built in Agartala with the use of steel frames which was a New Zealand’s Technology that could withstand major earthquakes.

These thousands of cheaper and faster housing constructions would be used as incubation centers for the Indian Planners, engineers, architects, and students for learning and experimenting with the new technology.

Walmart experiments with Drone deliveries

Aditi Swarup — Thu, 10 Sep 2020 08:27:36 +0000

The competition in the retail sector is on!
In an attempt to take on Amazon, Walmart has started testing a new method of deliveries.
Walmart has started testing the use of drones for deliveries. This will make deliveries completely automated minimizing human contact which can be considered a good this, particularly in the light of the Pandemic.
Walmart has partnered with an Israeli company, Flytrex for this new venture.

#Retail giant @Walmart started testing drone delivery of grocery & household essential items in a bid to take on #ecommerce giant @amazon.

Walmart said it has partnered with #Israel-based drone delivery company Flytrex to launch the pilot in Fayetteville, North Carolina. pic.twitter.com/njCgXPTpGf

— IANS (@ians_india) September 10, 2020