Ahmedabad: Kaushalya – The Skill University in Ahmedabad, a state university, is coming up with a drone manufacturing and training lab— “Drone Mantra” — to provide drone manufacturing and programming training in real work situations with advanced machinery and technology.
Drones with Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) approved type design will also be manufactured.
More than 100 drones will be manufactured every year as per the requirement. “Drone Mantra” will have the facility to develop new types of drones and applications of drones.
On the reasons behind setting up this lab, Anju Sharma, Additional Chief Secretary Labour, Skill Development and Employment department, told The Indian Express, “With the increase in demand for drones, there is a shortage of certified drones as these are not available with a long waiting period.”
Further, the lab will reduce the costs by an estimated 40-50 percent for the DGCA approved drones.
Normally, the certified drone costs around Rs 6-7 lakh which is expected to be reduced to Rs 3.5 lakh.
“Drones manufactured here will supplement replenishment of obsolete and condemned drone fleet. For achieving this objective Kaushlya – The Skill University has collaborated with a drone manufacturer to ensure the availability of the latest technology and manufacturing process. State-of-the-art facilities for drone training is created for the first time in Gujarat at the School of Drones,” Sharma added.
Under the School of Drone at Kaushalya – The Skill University, the center will offer two advanced postgraduate level courses in drone manufacturing — one year Post Graduate Diploma in Drone Manufacturing and Programming and two-year Post Graduate (MSc) course in Drone Manufacturing and Programming.
Moreover, the School of Drone will offer courses covering the entire value chain of drone ecosystem. The school through this lab will provide special incubation support to start-ups in drone technology.
A prototype of the proposed drone to be manufactured is also ready. It is tested for varied flight conditions and is sent for QCI Quality Council of India (QCI) testing and certification and on receipt of the required reports, procedure for obtaining DGCA-type certification will be initiated.
In the same premises, Kaushalya – The Skill University is also establishing – KUSHAL incubation and innovation foundation where innovation, research and development, and hand-holding of start-ups and entrepreneurs will be supported.
In August 2022, the School of Drone faculty under ‘Kaushalya- The Skill University’ was inaugurated after the facility was inspected by the DGCA and the university was granted DGCA authorized Remote Pilot Training Organization (RPTO) approval for drone pilot training by the Government of India.
So far, over 60 ITI instructors have been trained as drone master pilot trainers by the university.
A training facility has been set up by the School of Drones under Kaushalya-The Skill University as per the norms prescribed by the Civil Aviation Authority, Government of India.
