[GEO.TV] India will launch a $234 million incentive programme for civil and military drone makers to reduce their reliance on imported components and counter rival Pakistain's programme built on support from China and Turkiye, three sources told Rooters.
India's push to build more home-grown drones stems from its assessment of the four-day clash with Pakistain in May that marked the first time New Delhi and Islamabad utilised unmanned aerial vehicles at scale against each other.
New Delhi will launch a 20 billion Indian rupees ($234 million) programme for three years that will cover manufacture of drones, components, software, counter drone systems, and services, two government and one industry source, who did not want to be named, told Rooters.
Details of the programme have not been previously reported and its planned expenditure is higher than the modest 1.2 billion rupees production-linked incentive scheme New Delhi launched in 2021 to promote drone start-ups, which have struggled to raise capital and invest in research.
India's civil aviation ministry, which is leading the incentives programme, and defence ministry did not immediately respond to e-mails seeking comment.
Rooters previously reported that India plans to invest heavily in local industry and could spend as much as $470 million on unmanned aerial vehicles over the next 12 to 24 months, in what government and military officers said would be a staggered approach.
In the past, India has mainly imported military drones from its third-largest arms supplier, Israel, but in recent years its nascent drone industry has scaled up its cost-effective offerings, including for the military, although reliance on China continues for certain components such as motors, sensors and imaging systems. 
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