India scraps deals for 400 defence drones with Chinese parts

Cracking the whip against Indian domestic private sector companies that are using Chinese components in drones being supplied to the armed forces, India's defense establishment has now scrapped three contracts for the induction of 400 logistics drones by the Army, Report informs via The Times of India.

The defense establishment is also putting a “stringent mechanism” in place to ensure the military drones being acquired do not have “any Chinese parts or electronics as well as malicious codes”, sources told TOI.

These drones were primarily meant for deployment along the 3,488-km Line of Actual Control with China, amid the military confrontation that erupted in April 2020 after the People’s Liberation Army made multiple incursions into eastern Ladakh.

“Unfortunately, some Indian companies are using Chinese components and electronics in the drones they are producing for the armed forces. This is a major cybersecurity threat, with the possibility of data security and operations being compromised,” a source said.

“An adversary can seize control of a drone or `soft kill’ it through jamming. There may be a `backdoor’ in the electronics that bypasses security protection measures,” he added.