India Needs to Protect Drones from Cyber Threats with Homegrown Technology
As global conflicts escalate, drones have emerged as a key tool in modern warfare, but their reliance on Chinese-made components has raised significant concerns about their security. The founder and MD of Zuppa Geo Navigations Pvt Ltd, Sai Pattabiram, warns that disruptions or access to control systems of drones can be exploited by adversaries, posing a major risk to India's national security.
Pattabiram cites several recent conflicts, such as the Russia-Ukraine war, Israeli-Hamas conflict, and Houthi attacks, which have highlighted the vulnerability of drones to cyber threats. He notes that these conflicts are "Electronic Centric wars," where the focus is on disrupting or accessing the control and communication systems of adversaries' equipment by exploiting vulnerabilities in software-coded layers of the Cyber Physical Stack (CPS).
The growing reliance on commercial drones, which often use Chinese autopilots and software, has raised alarms over their security. Pattabiram stresses that all recent conflicts have shown how adversaries can gain tactical advantages by disrupting or accessing control systems of drones.
"The primary reason for the hijacking of Indian-assembled drones is because of the use of Chinese autopilots employing open-source CPS as shown above," he explains. "Its survivability is very poor, as all its code elements are easily available and can be downloaded from GitHub by any hacker."
This vulnerability can be exploited by malware residing in the firmware or through other layers such as command control protocols. Given the rise in drone hijacking incidents, there is an urgent need for a shift towards indigenous, non-Chinese drone components to protect India's national security.
Zuppa's Position in the Global Drone Market
When compared to Israeli and Turkish manufacturers, Pattabiram notes that while Zuppa drones are competitive from a technological perspective, policy barriers hinder India's ability to scale and compete internationally. He highlights that India needs to create a strategic framework to map key essentials such as technology, human resources, manufacturing infrastructure, quality certification, cybersecurity, and domestic consumption.
India Needs to Protect Drones with Homegrown Technology
Pattabiram remains optimistic about India's potential to become a global drone hub by 2030. He believes that the country's reputation as a trusted technology partner and the global trust deficit concerning China offer a unique opportunity for India to lead the drone industry.