Drones Of Reliance, Adani-Backed Startups Get ‘Type’ Certification From DGCA

Reliance-backed Asteria Aerospace and Adani-backed General Aeronautics are among the three drone manufacturers that have received ‘Type Certificate’ from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for their products.

Besides, Chennai-based Dhaksha Unmanned Systems has also received the certificate for its drone. “AgriGator is now Type Certified by DGCA – Dhaksha’s 12 litre spray tank, petrol engine agri spraying drone,” a statement on the drone manufacturer’s website read. 

Type certification is mandatory for startups prior to undertaking operations under the Drone Rules, 2021. The certificate is issued only after a rigorous testing process for the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which in turn ensures compliance to adhered standards. 

Till now, 5 startups have received the certification from the DGCA. Apart from the three newly announced players, IoTechWorld Aviation and CBAI Technologies have received the nod to offer one product each in the ‘Small’ UAS (unmanned aircraft system) class domain.

Besides, 23 more offerings from multiple drone startups are awaiting the nod of the regulator. 

The certification also makes drone manufacturers eligible for participation in the government procurement process and to commence sales in the country. 

Asteria’s A200 drone has become the first UAS in the country to be certified under the ‘Micro’ class. The drone weighs around 2 kilograms (kgs) and has a maximum attainable height of up to 440 feet from the ground.

On the other hand, the offerings of both Dhaksha and General Aeronautics have become the first in India to be certified under the ‘Medium’ category. 

Dhaksha’s DH-AG-H1 drone has an ‘all up weight’ of around 47.60 kgs and can attain heights of up to 49.21 feet. On similar lines, Adani-backed General Aeronautics’ (GA) Krishak drone will weigh around 49.1 kgs and will have the capability to soar to a height of up to 98.4 feet.

Competition Heats Up

Asteria’s drones are largely used in areas such as security, energy and utilities, agriculture, among others, and are deployed by companies such as Reliance, Tata and Bajaj Groups and government bodies such as Survey of India and Mumbai Police.

On the other hand, GA largely caters to the Indian agriculture sector, offering agri-drones that are used to spray pesticides over large swathes of agricultural land. Dhaksha is also an end-to-end UAS technology solution provider, offering products such as petrol engine drones with usage in areas such as agriculture,defence, among others. 

The certification for the three players comes at a time when the space is witnessing heightened competition. With the government liberalising drone rules and banning the import of foreign drones, the industry has received a big impetus.

While the space was crowded by startups earlier, the entry of deep-pocketed conglomerates has increased the competition. 

It is pertinent to note that Adani Defence Systems and Technologies picked up a 50% stake in the Bengaluru-based GA in May this year for an undisclosed amount. On the other hand, Mukesh Ambani-led RIL bought a 51% stake in Asteria for INR 23.12 Cr in December 2019. 

The Type certification has largely been given to startups with offerings catering to the agriculture space. This builds on a similar sentiment echoed by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during her Budget speech earlier this year. She had called on startups to leverage ‘Drone Shakti’ to help modernise the ailing sector.

Drones have a plethora of uses in the agritech space. From spraying pesticides to aerial monitoring, UAVs are used widely across the globe in the sector, but their usage continues to remain miniscule in India. 

According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), the homegrown drone sector is expected to achieve a turnover between INR 12,000 Cr and 15,000 Cr by 2026.