2 hrs ago
Indian Army Plans Six Labs to Screen Drone Firmware
The Indian Army is creating special laboratories to check the electronic brains of its drones.
These labs will look at both the hardware and the software inside the machines.
They will search for hidden instructions or weaknesses that could make a drone stop working.
Some problems might appear only in a certain place or at a certain time.
The Army is also concerned that foreign-made parts could contain unwanted features.
One lab is already open in Delhi.
Five more labs are planned in other parts of India.
The checks may later include Army CCTV cameras as well.
The Indian Army plans to operate six AASHVAST labs nationwide to inspect drones for firmware-level vulnerabilities.
One lab has been inaugurated in Delhi, with at least five more planned in the coming months.
The labs can detect hidden codes, geospatial faults, time-based bugs, and other vulnerabilities that could disrupt drone missions.
Future Army-procured CCTV cameras may also be checked for Chinese proprietary protocols or equivalent embedded systems.
The facilities will examine foreign-origin components, hidden passwords, embedded keys, remote-access tools, and location-based controls.
- Who
- The Indian Army, with AASHVAST developed by QuickPay Pvt Ltd for the Directorate General of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering.
- What
- The Army is establishing six AASHVAST labs to inspect drone firmware, embedded systems, and eventually some CCTV cameras for security vulnerabilities and foreign-origin components.
- Where
- Across India, with the first lab in Delhi.
- When
- One lab has been inaugurated; at least five more are planned in the coming months. The Army issued a related procurement request in April, and its information directorate publicized the facility on August 14.
- Why
- To reduce the risk that hidden codes, foreign components, or other firmware vulnerabilities could interfere with military drones during operations.
Key facts
- Facility name
- AASHVAST, meaning Assessment and Analysis of Electronic Systems Hardware for Vulnerabilities and Security Threats.
- Planned network
- Six labs across India.
- Current status
- One lab has been inaugurated in Delhi; at least five more are planned.
- Developer
- QuickPay Pvt Ltd developed the Firmware Analysis and Validation Suite for the Directorate General of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering.
- Initial focus
- Mandatory inspections of Indian Army drones.
- Potential expansion
- Army-procured CCTV cameras may eventually undergo similar inspections.
- Detectable issues
- The labs can identify about 14 types of vulnerabilities, including geospatial, time-based, hidden-code, and destination-related faults.
Quotes
A person involved with setting up the lab
Participant in establishing the AASHVAST lab
“There is no mechanism to determine what is embedded within the silicon. What is visible is merely the invoice, which shows (from) where the part was purchased. But that does not necessarily indicate its true origin.”
indianexpress.com
“This will help prevent situations where active components sourced from China are misrepresented as ‘made in India’ or another country, based solely on the invoice indicating their point of purchase.”
indianexpress.com
Indian Army Additional Directorate General of Public Information
Indian Army public information directorate that announced the facility’s capabilities
“Equipped with advanced capabilities AASHVAST will enable evaluation of critical defence platforms thereby increasing cyber resilience. Aligned with the national vision of #AtmanirbharBharat, the facility will strengthen operational readiness as well as promote growth of the domestic defence ecosystem.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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