Swarm Drone competition

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Context:

Defence Minister unveiled the second edition of the ‘Mehar Baba’ swarm drone competition by the Indian Air Force (IAF) for Indian start-ups to develop a swarm drone based system to detect foreign objects on aircraft operating surfaces.

About Mehar Baba Swarm Drone challenge:

• Launched in October 2018, the Mehar Baba Swarm Drone challenge by the IAF was aimed at encouraging the development of swarm drones for the utilisation of varied domains, including response to disaster relief operations.
• The competition was named to honour the late Air Commodore Mehar Singh.
• It is open to only indigenous talent and indigenous start-ups.
• It was conceptualised to evolve proprietary design, development, manufacturing and production of low cost-high impact solutions for swarm drone technology.

Swarm drone system

As per the conditions, the swarm drone system should be able

• to scan and detect sub-centimetre size foreign objects on aircraft operating surfaces.
• to carry a range of payloads and sensors, have image correction ability, provide alerts and provide accurate location and discernable image of foreign objects.
• to operate in GPS denied environment, complete operating cycle within 30 minutes and operate day and night and in reduced visibility as well as light windy conditions.

Drone rule 2021

• Security Clearance: Eliminates the need for drone operators to obtain security clearancebefore registering or applying for a license.
• Foreign Companies: Companies registered in India are permitted to import and operate drones and their parts and are regulated by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade.
• Abbreviated clauses: Removed airworthiness certificate, unique identification number, pre-approval, and remote pilot license requirementsfor companies engaged in drone research and development (R & D). Pilot licenses are not required to operate non-profit micro drones, nano drones, and R & D organizations that use such drones.
• Form and charge reductions: The number of forms has also been reduced from 25 to 5, and the charge types have been significantly reduced from 72 to 4. The fee amount has been reduced to the nominal level and separated from the size of the drone.
• Drone Coverage: Increased from 300kg to 500kg to cover drone taxis, the issuance of airworthiness certificates has been delegated to the Indian Quality Council and its authorized certification
• Drone Corridor Development: MoCA will also promote the development of drone corridors for freight transport, and a drone promotion council will be established to promote a business-friendly regulatory system.
• Airspace map: The Drone Rule 2021 draft also provides an interactive airspace map that includes the green, yellow, and red zones displayed on the Digital Sky Platform.
  • The Yellow Zone has been removed from the nearby airport site from 45km to 12km,
  • They do not need a flight permit of up to 400 feet in the Green Zone and up to 60 feet 8-12 kmfrom the airport area.
• Digital Sky Platform: This is MoCA's initiative to provide a secure and scalable platform that supports drone technology frameworks such as NPNT (no permit, no launch),digitally enabling flight permits, streamlining unmanned flight operations and traffic. Manage.
  • The Digital Sky platform has also been developed as a business-friendly one-window online system that minimizes human interferenceand self-generates most privileges.

Importance of Drones:

• Various uses: Use of unmanned aerial vehicles for surveillance, situation analysis, crime management, VVIP security, disaster management, etc.
• Significant Benefits: Drones have brought significant benefits to almost every economic sector, including defense, agriculture, law enforcement, and mapping.
• Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan: Drone rules were introduced in 2021 as part of an initiative tomake India a global hub for drones under Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.
• Medical use: Delivery of medicines, collection of samples from remote or epidemic / pandemicaffected areas by the Department of Health and Family Welfare.
• Real-time monitoring: The Ministry of Petroleum and Energy has been asked to fly drones for pollutant assessment and evidence gathering, including real-time monitoringof facilities and transmission lines, anti-theft, visual inspection / maintenance, construction planning and management.
• Innovation: Very useful for startups and young people workingin the industry. It will open up innovation and business opportunities.

Problem / issue

• Clear Working Profile: Accountability and division of labor must be clearabout who (military or civilian army) is responsible for such a mechanism. This is not a tactical threat, but it requires a strategic response.
• Financing: Government funding is a problem. Large-scale production and use requires a large amountof money and strategy.
• Difficult to distinguish: Counter-strategies must be strong enough to distinguishbetween birds and real drones. They also need to give enough warning to make sure it is not a shooting bird.
• Easy access: It's cheap, so anyonecan easily access it.
• Anonymity: Anonymity is a great risk to know the origin of the drone. Drone attacks can also be launched internally.
• Swarm drone: Many drones overwhelm and confuse the detection system, and some drones infiltrate.

Types of Zones:

• Green Zone: Airspace over land or territorial waters of India, or Vertical distances of 400 feet or 120 meters and 200 feet or 60 meters at a lateral distance of 12 from the perimeter of the operating airport.
• Yellow Zone: Flying in this zone requires the prior approval of your Air Traffic Control Authority. This includes airspace above the vertical distance specified by the green zone.
• Red Zone: The use of UAVs is prohibited unless only permitted by the central government.

Way Forward

• Government's Bold Approach: The Civil Aviation Authority's decision to liberalize drone policy even after the recent drone incident in Jammu shows the government'sbold approach to promoting the use of drones.
• Fighting Threats: Focuses on counter drone technology developmentto fight the threats posed by fraudulent drones. 

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/rajnath-singh-launches-second-edition-of-swarm-drone-competition-for-start-ups/article65296709.ece#:~:text=Defence%20Minister%20Rajnath%20Singh%20unveiled,objects%20on%20aircraft%20operating%20surfaces.