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DRONING IN: ON THE RED DOT  In this article, Piyush Gupta,Head of Aviation & Competition, Singapore provides a brief overview of the latest developments and regulatory changes proposed within the drone-tech space in Singapore to ensure that this ‘Little Red Dot’ becomes a drone hub within the South-East Asian region.  The last decade has seen a significant increase in innovation and commercial interest within the drone-tech space. Earlier drones were primarily used for military purposes, beginning in the early-2010s, a host of new uses were proposed for drones. As a result of their ability to reach the inaccessible places at low costs, drones are now being used by countries and governments for a number of purposes ranging from rescue operations, surveillance, delivering goods to transporting time-sensitive medical supplies. Suffice to say that drones are being seen by the governments across the world, as an important aid in its policies, both from a commercial as well as non-commercial perspective. Not to mention the plethora of opportunities (and challenges) that are, and will be generated from the commercial usage of drones and one can see why drones are considered the “new frontier”. Recently, we have seen Singapore taking massive strides towards becoming a pioneer in drone operations and use in a safe, commercially-savvy manner and this article dwells upon the latest developments and regulatory changes proposed within the drone-tech space in Singapore to ensure that this ‘Little Red Dot’ becomes a drone hub within the South-East Asian region. CHALLENGES A recent study conducted by drone research and consulting firm – Drone Analyst – identified the top three drivers for the drone industry in 2020, being: (a)Increased Hardware Competition – Commercial users have, until recently, largely used drones for recreational purposes. Now, new manufacturers and new commercial offerings are being provided to customers with respect to the hardware of the drones.  Additionally, even the open-source software companies have started taking interest in this tech space and are increasingly powering newer commercial drone solutions . For instance, the US Company – Freefly Systems – has recently announced a new multi-use enterprise drone for utility, telco, and infrastructure companies, as well as drone service providers and first responders . This means that instead of using different types / categories of drones for different uses, a ‘hybrid’ category has already been developed for multi-functional purposes. (b)Rising Global Tensions – The U.S.-China trade war could have a major impact on the drone industry.  While the Chinese manufacturers have never tried to market their drones to the U.S. defence forces, their products are typically inexpensive and customizable, making them attractive for a number of military operations.  Lawmakers subsequently questioned the use of federal funds to purchase Chinese-manufactured drones that hadn’t been designed for a military level of security. Now, many new manufacturers are marketing dual-use commercial drones appropriate for both military and commercial use . This links back to the ‘hybrid’ models that have already made an appearance on the drone-tech landscape. (c)Improved Autonomy – The ‘night-mode’ function has been around for ages now. When used on a phone, it automatically mutes all incoming calls. On a cuckoo clock, the sensor ‘senses’ night-time and automatically mutes the nightly “cuckoos”! Similarly, with the technological advancements, the question now is not whether drones can become autonomous, rather a question of how autonomous we want them to be? While the technology exists, for truly autonomous drones to take wings, adequate and proper regulations are needed. For instance, Remote Identification and Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) platforms should form the absolute basis on which the implementation of autonomous drone solutions should vest on. Singapore is pushing towards becoming the world’s first Smart Nation, one that will improve the quality of life for individuals and business opportunities for enterprises, and drones are now a part of the Republic’s Smart Nation initiative . To establish itself as a drone-hub in the region, Singapore has introduced a slew of new regulations and policies for drone operators and manufacturers. Unsurprisingly, the Singapore Government adopted an evidence-based regulatory approach, wherein drone users were asked to provide proof-of-use of drone technology. This initiative materialised in the last quarter of the previous year (December 2019) when the Air Navigation (101-Unmanned Aircraft Operations) Regulations were introduced. LEGAL ROAD MAP IN SINGAPORE The operation of drones in Singapore falls under the purview of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) – the same regulator which oversees the operation of aircraft. CAAS takes a serious view of errant unmanned aircraft (UA) operations which pose threats to aviation or endanger the personal safety of others. In May last year (2019), CAAS set up an Unmanned Aircraft Systems Advisory Panel (UASAP) to review the regulatory framework for Unmanned Aircraft Systems . Upon the recommendations of the UASAP, the Air Navigation (101 – Unmanned Aircraft Operations) Regulations (“Regulations”) were enacted [pursuant to section 3A of the Air Navigation Act (Chapter 6)]. The Regulations came into force on 2 January 2020. The Regulations list out the regulatory requirements that are needed to be fulfilled in order to operate a drone in Singapore, including the details in respect of registration and permit requirement for drone operations, specifying the ‘no-fly’ zones, as well as providing the penalties for non-compliance with the Regulations by the drone-operators. Set out below, is an overview of the basic provisions under the Regulations: (a)At the onset, a person who is 16 years of age and above and who desires to fly a drone, is required to register the drone with the CAAS if the drone weighs over 250 grams and if the intent is to fly the drone in and over Singapore. (b)For registration of the drone, a person needs to obtain a registration label. Each registration label will contain a unique identification number (UIN) which will be tagged to the respective drone(s) and needs to be stuck at a clear place on the drone. (c)Effective 1 February 2021, operating a drone weighing from 1.5kg up to 7kg requires the operator to hold

In order to boost defence exports a webinar between India and UAE was held on the theme of “Indian Defence Industry Global Outreach for Collaborative Partnership: Webinar and Expo India – UAE Defence Cooperation”.  It was organized on Tuesday, 27 October 2020 under the aegis of Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence, MoD, through the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers, SIDM. Ambassadors and senior MoD officials from both sides participated in the webinar and spoke about deep- rooted relations between the two countries. Both sides agreed to take up cooperation in defence further through joint production and mutual trade which could be a win – win proposition for both the countries. Shri Sanjay Jaju, JS (DIP) said that as part of the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan, we are not advocating protectionism. “On the contrary we are emphasizing on openness and inter-linkages so that our companies could become a part of the global supply chains and foreign companies could have a role in Indian defence manufacturing ecosystem.” This webinar was part of the series of webinars which are being organized with friendly foreign countries in order to boost defence exports and to achieve defence export target of $5 Billion in the next five years. Various Indian companies such as L&T Defence, GRSE, OFB, MKU, Bharat Forge and Ashok Leyland made company and product presentations on major platforms / equipment like Artillery Systems, Radars, Protected Vehicles, Costal Surveillance System, Akash Missile system and Ammunition etc. in the webinar. From the UAE side STREIT Group, Rockford Xellerie, EDGE, TAWAZUN and Marakeb Technologies made presentations. The webinar was attended by more than 180 participants and more than 100 virtual exhibition stalls were set up in the Expo.  

HUMAN RESOURCE  “There are no shortcuts to any place worth going”-  Beverly Sills. The famous quote suits well with the training requirements in the aviation sector as this is one of those sectors which requires only skilled manpower. Even for fresher’s every organization provides them required training as mandated by the regulatory authorities to make them perfect and job-oriented. Dr. (Prof) Dewakar Goel, a seasoned aviation expert through this article dwells upon all the jobs that aviation sector provides and their training parameters in details which will be of great help to the entire new age aviation enthusiast who are looking forward to make their career in this field. We have witnessed 23 Per cent increase in the passenger movement per year in India during last years and it is anticipated that same trend will continue for another ten years making India number one in domestic sector and among first five in International sector. The association of International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Policy framework of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in the field of training is considered as a boon which helped aviation industry to grow in India tremendously. The role and responsibility shouldered by training institutions of airport operators, airlines and other agencies needs to be given the credit for enhancing the performance level of aviation personnel which gave rise to this growth. Having said so, we need to appreciate the importance of training and its impact on aviation growth. When we talk about training, it signifies imparting knowledge and skills to the employees so as to perform the task as per requirement of the job. The job of a trainer is like that of a civil engineer who maintains the pavements for filling up of the manholes. The engineer looks for the material and the techniques to fill these holes. He/she also identifies the causes and while filling the manholes, he takes care that there should not be any water retention on it because as per his/her findings, the potholes occurred due to water retention. Similarly, a trainer needs to identify the knowledge gaps of the trainees so as to fill up them with required knowledge and skills. Training can be of technical nature, non-technical nature, and soft-skills which also relates to personal development of employees. Every avocation has got the requirement of training whether it is in the manufacturing, marketing, finance, HR, logistics, and every technological field. Organizations prepare training modules as required for their working. During last two decades, we have seen that training has become an important area for enhancing the performance level of the employees and it has become essential systematic activity. Pre-training analyses are done and training modules are designed accordingly. Concept of on-the-job training has gained considerable importance and post training feedback is undertaken as a process of evaluation so as to know whether the desired outcome has reflected in the performance level that gives rise to the concept of train and re-train. TRAINING IN AVIATION Now, let us talk about training in aviation, which is quite different from the training in other sectors. Why it is different since aviation is a unique field where you do not get the manpower readily available. We create foundation of competencies keeping in view of organizational objectives. The manpower planning is done for short-term and long-term and jobs are created as per industry’s requirements. Job specifications and descriptions are discussed with the line managers to induct right kind of manpower. The next step comes in generating expertise from amongst the manpower inducted so as to assign the roles. We can get qualified experienced people for every industry except Aviation as the roles and responsibilities are different. Technical or non-technical graduates or post-graduates in management cannot be utilized straight away in aviation sector because the nature of job is unique. Let us come to the micro-level in understanding the training aspects of aviation industry. We can take the example of airport manager who is responsible for managing various activities of terminal management with the focus on passenger facilitation. It requires communication, co-ordination and control. The surveys are done by Airport Council International (ACI) for giving Airport Service Quality (ASQ) ratings on 5-point scale for all International airports of the world, classifying them as per flight and passenger movement. Here also, basis of grading is feedback from the passengers. The airport manager has got great responsibility of meeting the needs of all stakeholders. May it be, immigration, customs, police, CISF, Airlines, taxi operators, parking contractors, security agencies, various travel requisites shops, housekeeping staffs, Airport Operation Control Centre (AOCC), air worthiness and his own staff deputed for terminal management looking after facilitation. The job is multi-dimensional. He/she needs to have knowledge of air side management also whether it is for apron, air-traffic control, fire section, parking bays, runways, hangers, and all areas because if a customer comes with a query as to why his relative has not come out though the flight has landed 30 minutes before, the knowledge of air side management becomes handy when he/she knows time spent by the aircraft on taxi way and location of parking bay. Also, about the time consumed in arrival of unaccompanied baggage on the conveyor belt. See, how different is the profile of airport manager in comparison to the profile of hotel manager. Though, Now-a-days, we are hiring management post-graduates for both these jobs. The hotel industry prefers diploma/degree in Hotel Management as compared to MBA. If we look back three decades down the memory lane, the non-graduate unemployed commercial pilots were being inducted as airport managers and the experience showed that they were far more effective as excellent performers as airport manager as compared to present day MBAs mainly due to the strong base of air side operations  knowledge and other aspects of aviation. The aviation training is multi-dimensional. We talked about airport manager whose performance is before the public. Let us talk about air traffic controller who is responsible for proper separation of aircrafts to

US TO SUPPORT INDIA TO DEFEND ITS TERRITORIAL SOVEREIGNTY AND LIBERTY The 3rd India-US 2+2 dialogue held in New Delhi on 27th October 2020 had a very fruitful interaction by the top dignitaries of both the nations. The United States vowed to support India to defend its territorial sovereignty and liberty. Addressing the media, U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said that, “the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is “no friend to democracy”. “The United States will stand with the people of India as they face threats to their sovereignty and their liberty,” said Mr. Pompeo hinting at the ongoing tense scenario in eastern Ladakh where Indian and Chinese forces in a standoff since May. Mr. Pompeo also referred to the greater threats posed by China in the Asia-Pacific region and the COVID-19 pandemic. The observations about the threats to Indian sovereignty came as New Delhi announced the signing of the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement on geospatial cooperation (BECA) with the U.S. In his opening remarks, Defence Minister Mr. Rajnath Singh laid out the challenges before India. He said, “We are meeting today at an extraordinary time. This pandemic is something that we have never experienced in our lifetime. Our partnership is becoming stronger because of the challenges that we are facing at present.” He further added, “We have had comprehensive discussions on key aspects of our bilateral and multilateral cooperation. We considered the major challenges we face. The need for quick economic recovery and growth, prevention of the Pandemic, rebuild the global supply chains and related issues received obvious priority in our discussions. Apart from BECA, India and the U.S. also sealed a MoU on Technical Cooperation in Earth Observations and Earth Sciences, and an agreement to extend duration of the MoU regarding the Global Center for Nuclear Energy Partnership. The two sides also signed an agreement on electronic exchange of customs data and a letter of intent regarding cooperation in traditional Indian medicines. Earlier, India and US had also signed LEMOA in 2016 and COMCASA in 2018 is a significant achievement in that direction. MoD also highlighted some of the other noteworthy steps taken by both India and US in follow up to the earlier discussions. These include Positioning a USN LO at IFC-IOR and Indian LO at NAVCENT, Bahrain; greater interaction and coordination with CENTCOM and AFRICOM; setting up of the COMSEC account and increasing the scope and complexities of our exercises. Now LO’s at each other’s establishments could be leveraged to enhance our information sharing architecture. To sum it up, our military to military cooperation is progressing well. The current 2 + 2 meeting also explored probable capacity building and other joint cooperation activities in third countries, including our neighborhood and beyond. We have convergence of views on a number of such proposals and will take those forward. MoD welcomes the acceptance of our request for cooperation in the advanced field of maritime domain awareness. Both sides agreed to comprehend the requirements and initiate processes for joint development of requisite systems and expertise. In the Defence Industrial Cooperation area, the recent initiative of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ in Defence sector was underlined as a key driver and a guiding factor of our Defence Industrial Cooperation. The capabilities of Indian Defence Industry and their usefulness in the supply chain of major US platforms and systems were highlighted. The MoD said that India has identified priority Near-Term projects for joint development between respective agencies, which need to be fast tacked under the DTTI and resolved to work together in Defence R&D more efficiently. Defence Innovation field has being growing consistently in our discussions in recent years, The instruments of ISA and iDEX/DIU MOl, which were agreed upon and signed during our last 2+2 meetings, are beginning to bear fruit. We welcomed holding of the inaugural meeting of iDEX-DIU in July 2020 through Video Conferencing and are looking forward to the first ISA Summit this year. During the meeting, assessment of the security situation across the Indo Pacific was done. In that process, it was reaffirmed the commitment to peace, stability and prosperity of all countries in this region. Both nation agreed to upholding the rules based international order, respecting the rule of law and freedom of navigation in the international seas and upholding the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states are essential. The defence cooperation is intended to further these objectives and both sides welcomed Australia joining the forthcoming Malabar Exercise.

India’s first sea plane operation was inaugurated by Hon’ble Prime Minister on 31 Oct. 2020 with start of services between Statue of Unity in Kevadia and Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad. The service is being operated by Spice Shuttle, subsidiary of SpiceJet Airlines. Under the visionary guidance of Hon’ble PM under the leadership of Shri Vijay Rupani, Hon’ble Chief Minister, Gujarat has signed an MoU on 22/07/2020 with Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), Govt. of India, and Airports Authority of India to start first-ever “Seaplane Services in Gujarat” to provide seamless and affordable air connectivity from Sabarmati Riverfront, Ahmedabad to Statue of Unity, Kevadia which turn out a historical achievement of the State Government. The kind of service is first ever in the Country. The Scheme is being implemented by the terms and conditions of a tripartite agreement between State Government, Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), Govt. of India, and Airports Authority of India. In this connection, a high-level meeting was organized on 29th August 2020 at New Sachivalaya, Gandhinagar to review the progress of the water aerodrome operation in Gujarat which was chaired by Chief Secretary, Govt. of Gujarat along with the Secretary, Civil Aviation –Govt. of India, Joint Secretary, Civil Aviation- GoI, DOG- DGCA, Concerned officials from Airports Authority of India, Airline Operator (Spicejet), and other Government officials from State Government and Central Government. The service operated by Spicejet Airline from Sabarmati Riverfront, Ahmedabad- Statue of Unity, Kevadia: 04 Flights, a day ( 04 Arrival & 04 Departures. The Ticket price would be around of Rs.4,800/- Per person. In this connection, a high-level meeting was organized on 29th August 2020 at New Sachivalaya, Gandhinagar to review the progress of the water aerodrome operation in Gujarat which was chaired by Chief Secretary, Govt. of Gujarat along with the Secretary, Civil Aviation –Govt. of India, Joint Secretary, Civil Aviation- GoI, DOG- DGCA, Concerned officials from Airports Authority of India, Airline Operator (Spicejet), and other Government officials from State Government and Central Government. The service is operated by Spicejet Airline from Sabarmati Riverfront, Ahmedabad-Statue of Unity, Kevadia: 04 Flights, a day ( 04 Arrival & 04 Departures. The Ticket price would be around of Rs.4,800/- Per person. The inaugural flight will likely happen on 31st October 2021. On recommendation of Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), AAI Multi-Disciplinary team conducted Pre-Feasibility Study for development of Water Aerodrome at three sites namely Sabarmati River Front, Statue of Unity and Shatrunjay Dam identified by Govt. of Gujarat in June 2018. A tripartite MoU has been signed among MoCA, AAI and Govt. of Gujarat for development, operation and maintenance of Water Aerodrome at above sites. AAI appointed M/s Feedback Infra as consultant for preparing DPR. IWAI was entrusted of conducting bathymetry survey and execution of concrete pontoons and DGLL has installed marker buoys demarcating runway alignment, aircraft maneuvering and obstacles in water. Design of all works carried out by IWAI and DGLL have been vetted by IIT Madras. The average cost of development of water aerodrome is approx. Rs. 36 crore. Based on bathymetry survey and Obstacle Limitation Surface (OLS) survey Master Plan and flight SOPs have been developed by AAI. As per MoU, the city side development works has been undertaken by GUJSAIL, Govt. of Gujarat. Although, the site selected was remote and had a lot of challenges due to difficult terrain, the agencies involved have worked tirelessly to complete the infrastructure development works in record 45 days.   TYPE OF SERVICES The Water Aerodromes have been designed to cater to category 2B type of floatplanes such as the 19 seater Viking Twin Otter Series under VFR conditions. The runway of length 800m X 60m at Statue of Unity has been marked with Marker Buoys for clear visual demarcation. Also, areas with hazards to marine activity have been marked with nun buoys. A sturdy Floating Jetty made of Structural Concrete Pontoons of size 24m X 9m along with necessary safety equipment, soft fenders, ‘in deck’ service utilities, mooring systems and connecting gangway with shore have been installed at the site for docking of seaplane. Currently, there is provision for docking of one seaplane at a time however being modular in nature this system can be expanded to accommodate more seaplanes as well. The Water Aerodrome will initially function from an interim Terminal Building till the regular building of area 700 sqm. is constructed on shore for both the sites. The State Government shall operate and maintain the water aerodrome including providing fire and security services, as per regulations of DGCA and BCAS. The developed Water Aerodromes at Statue of Unity was officially inaugurated by Hon’ble Prime Minister on 31 Oct. 2020.

Former Topgun Instructor Takes Readers on the Ride of a Lifetime… DAVE BARANEK, AUTHOR, TOMCAT RIO Dave Baranek knows exactly what it means to “ride into the danger zone.” In his new release, Tomcat RIO, he plants readers firmly in the cockpit of the legendary F-14 Tomcat fighter, blazing along at twice the speed of sound seven miles above the ocean and the carrier that hurled it off its deck. In an exclusive email interview with Aviation World, Dave Baranek share more about his experiences while working with US Naval Aviation and penning down back-to back three book series. Excerpts…” What is the concept and thought behind penning down Tomcat RIO? Is this an extension of two of your previous book titled Topgun Days and Before Topgun Days? Yes, Tomcat RIO describes my flying adventures in the US Navy picking up where Topgun Days left off. I wanted to share those years with readers, when I had some of my best experiences as well as when I dealt with challenges as my responsibilities increased. In the book I describe doing well at some aspects of my mission as an F-14 Tomcat Radar Intercept Officer (RIO, the back-seater in the F-14, like Goose in the movie “Top Gun”). I don’t feel like I was bragging, because it was the result of years of good training and experience. And then to balance it, I talk about later in my career when it wasn’t so easy, after I had not flown for a few years. I wrote Topgun Days first, because it includes a career highlight of being a Topgun instructor and my small contribution to make the movie “Top Gun,” and it also includes my ejection incident. The second book, Before Topgun Days, tells about Naval Aviation training and how I got into the F-14. So the new book, Tomcat RIO, completes the story. The book mentions about the challenges and unexpected trials faced in the US Naval Aviation. Kindly elaborate a bit more about your journey & experiences? When I returned to an F-14 squadron after 2 ½ years as a Topgun instructor, I felt very comfortable and confident. I was on top of the situation when flying, and I experienced success when performing my ground job. In the US Navy, pilots and back-seaters have jobs to run the squadron, in addition to their flying duties. Then I spent a few years serving on high-level staffs, such as supporting the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Pentagon. By the time I returned, the F-14 had taken on a new mission: air-to-ground attack. In addition, the aerial threat we faced was much more capable than it had been only a few years before. At the same time as I dealt with these changes, my job was commanding officer of an F-14 squadron, which consisted of fourteen F-14 Tomcats and more than 300 people. Things went well, but as you will see in the book: it wasn’t easy and I learned some lessons. This book also features your best and most acclaimed photos. Any particular moment that is really close to your heart and you would like to mention? Yes, one of the photos is my all-time favorite, from years of flying and taking picture. It shows an F-14 Tomcat in full afterburner against a dark sky, its nose pointed toward the stars. This was a set-up that came to my imagination, and one evening I discussed it with my pilot and the guys in the other jet. At the time, our aircraft carrier was in the South China Sea. This was 1989, so there was no unusual tension in the region. We launched on our mission, got in formation, lit the afterburners and started climbing. I shot an entire roll of film, and the pictures turned out just how I imagined. Later photos, showing the F-14 carrying an array of missiles and several bombs, also look impressive as they show the versatility of the aircraft. I should clarify that taking photos like this was a hobby for me. Most pilots and RIOs did not take photos, or only took a few. Several others, however, also took many photos and some of them have been published in books and magazines. The Navy allowed us to take photos on most flights, as long as it did not interfere with the mission. Strap in, and get ready for a wild ride! What does this mean in reader’s context? These words are meant to make the reader think they are climbing into the cockpit seat of an F-14 fighter. Once in the seat, you strap in for security. Reading Tomcat RIO will make the reader feel like they are flying in an F-14! Any specific point that you really want to emphasize upon from Tomcat RIO? When I wrote the book I wasn’t thinking about providing lessons or instructions, but as the story unfolded several ideas emerged that may inspire or inform readers. One of the overall points, that I think is carried through all of my books, is that you should pursue your dreams and passions. I worked hard on my skills in aviation and was fortunate that I was rewarded, doing what I dreamed, and I enjoyed it. Accomplishments rarely come to people who have not made a strong effort. Another point is that behind these exciting things we see in movies, such as flying jet fighters, there are many people who support and enable the activity. I tell some of these stories, and I think they are interesting because they provide some detail. Yes, I can tell you it is thrilling and enjoyable to fly a jet fighter, but there is a lot more to it than zooming among the clouds. So, this can be taken as conclusion of your book series and last leg towards your F-14 Journey? Yes, at this time I think I have told all of my stories, so Tomcat RIO is the last leg. But you never

REGULATORY TRIBULATIONS OF DRONES BY GP. CAPT. AK SACHDEV ( RETD.) Human avarice endows commerce with powerful dynamics which often militate with societal and regulatory norms and constraints; the ongoing drone proliferation demonstrates this amply. Technological advances in drones, and appreciation of their emerging commercial munificence, have led to a great deal of interest in their employment for business and commercial activities. India’s resurgent economy, notwithstanding a temporary setback due to Corona virus, has seen an immense interest in drones; indeed, there is a mushrooming market for drones of all sizes and with variegated payloads and capabilities. The beginnings of this revolution of sorts was visible almost a decade ago and so were the associated risks and hazards, and we should have been ready to regulate its intricacies. However, for various reasons, our regulatory oversight of drones is rather unconvincing at the moment. REGULATORY INFIRMITIES Starting with innocuous remote controlled toy drones at the beginning of the decade gone by, the market was inundated with their presence in the market (and their size)growing at a disquieting pace. As the process of regulating their use was lagging pitiably, a blanket ban was put into place in 2014as an interim, short term measure with the laudable intent of simultaneously drawing up exhaustive regulations to control drone flights in Indian airspace. The intent, however, was not matched by the actions thereafter, and it took an inordinately long time for Director General Civil Aviation (DGCA) to promulgate Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR), Section 3 – Air Transport Series X, Part I Issue 1 on August 27, 2018. The CAR uses the technical term Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPAs)for drones and regulates their use in the Indian Airspace; itstipulates the process for obtaining Unique Identification Number (UIN), Unmanned Aircraft Operator Permit (UAOP), and other operational requirements including identification of civil drones and drone operators.The drone operators are required to register their drones on the online portal after which a drone Acknowledgement Number (DAN) and an Ownership Acknowledgement Number (OAN) is issued online which would help in validation of operations. However, this does not give drone operators to fly drones in India without permission. Only around 20,000 drones are registered with MoCA but the number of drones being flown without registration and without permission for various purposes is much larger due to the excessive delay in promulgating the CAR and the inability of the regulatory machinery to ensure the ban prevalent between 2014 and 2018. The establishment of a Digital Sky platform was envisaged as a system to regulate drone flights but it was not ready at the time when the CAR was issued; its partial readiness was announced on 01 December 2018. Digital Sky concept is a massive framework which needs to be comprehensive, complex and data driven. Unfortunately, users and manufacturers alike remain largely unaware of its technical requirements. India has a unique No Permission – No Takeoff (NPNT) clause which means that a drone needs to be configured with a special software and/or hardware in such a manner that unless the regulatory permission is given through Digital Sky platform, a drone cannot fly. In other words, until the NPNT is incorporated into its design, a drone manufacturer should be unable to sell drones in India.However, while the NPNT compliance has been granted only to 19 companies (details at https://digitalsky.dgca.gov.in/RpaTypeList), the drone market is inundated with non-NPNT compliant drones doing brisk business at attractive rates. The problem appears to be that while NPNT is a great idea, enforcing it has become a headache for the regulator as it is still struggling with implementing a system to keep a check on the hardware and software capabilities of drones as there are very few labs to ascertain these standards. On June 2 this year, MoCA published a Gazette Notification with a draft “Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Rules 2020”; the draft introduced some changes from DGCA’s 2018 CAR mentioned earlier. The important changes are aimed at tweaking the five categories of drones, eligibility of persons authorised to manufacture, import, trade in, own or operate drones, Unique Authorisation Number (UAN) rules, change in UAN/UIN/UAOP/Pilot License fees, and the import of non-compliant drones into India. MoCA had given a month’s time for stakeholders and the general public to submit comments. Expectedly, there were many inputs, possibly the most significant being a 43 page document from the Drone Federation of India (DFI), a non-government, not-for-profit, industry led body promoting unmanned aviation industry in India. Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has recommended that the rules provide for setting up of a single window mechanism to obtain all clearances and approvals necessary for procuring and operating drones in the country. Hopefully, these inputs will be accommodated in the final Rules which are yet to be promulgated. It is also hoped that the final Rules will address the restrictions on entities owned by foreign players or their controlled Indian subsidiaries, as they are not allowed to register as an Authorised Person under the Rules; this restriction is a dampener for foreign investors interested in investing in e-commerce companies that want to use drones. CONCLUDING REMARKS Different sources estimate the number of unregistered drones in Indian skies is to be between two to six lakhs and future projections predict a growth of around ten lakhs per year for the next five years or so. The numbers do not matter so much as the fact that the proliferation appears to be unbridled with the regulatory mechanism not yet in convincing control of the growth. It is not just the commercial impetus or the aviation enthusiasts who are responsible; some of the state governments (at least eleven) are known to have flouted DGCA regulations and employed drones for variegated purposes, sheltering behind the abnormal conditions imposed by the Corona pandemic. The proliferation is certain to continue unabated even after the final Rules are promulgated as the DGCA is not geared up to exercise stringent control and oversight over drone use. Their small size