The British defence ministry is purchasing Chinese drones, which the United States already blacklists over human rights and national security concerns. As per a recently published contract notice, an order worth £132,337 for drones and accessories developed by the DJI, which is the world’s largest consumer drone company, has been placed by the British Ministry of Defence.

ᴡʜʏ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅʀᴏɴᴇs ʙʟᴀᴄᴋʟɪsᴛᴇᴅ?

Ahead of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the Chinese company was accused of providing drones to Moscow’s military, although it has recently suspended its sales in both countries. Stating the DJI drones as a potential security threat, the United States Government agencies have grounded them.

After the Chinese company was put on an entity list by the US government, following the claims that the company has provided the China government with surveillance technology at detention camps for Uyghur Muslims, the American businesses have been barred from exporting the technology to the company since then.

ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀᴄᴋsᴛᴀɢᴇ

The British Ministry of Defence ordered an unspecified number of the DJI Matrice 300 RTK drones. This camera drone can travel at a speed of 23 m/s and operate in sub-zero temperatures and record high definition videos. These devices were ordered through a reseller. For companies which use these devices for inspecting structures such as buildings and power lines, the above-cited device is termed the company’s flagship drone.

The ministry did not reveal the purpose for purchasing the drones; however, the device has previously been bought for monitoring battlefield exercises on Salisbury Plains, which is a 94,000-acre training area located in Wiltshire where the air space is also restricted. The drones are also used to scan for trust passes on the facility.

As per open sources, a spokesman said, “We take the security of our people and assets very seriously and have robust measures in place that are kept under regular review,” The ministry had halted the purchases of DJI drones at a point but does not have a ban on them.

Although the MoD has used these drones previously, it is believed that the purchase has been made public for the first time since US officials blacklisted the company in 2020. According to the Chinese company, they do not sell or market their products for military use, and the resellers and distributors of the company have committed to following their policy.

sᴜsᴘᴇɴsɪᴏɴ ɪɴ ʀᴜssɪᴀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴜᴋʀᴀɪɴᴇ

The company suspended its sales in Russia and Ukraine in April after the Ukrainian Deputy PM accused it of helping Russia attack its neighbours. This stood as the first suspension of its kind by a major Chinese company.

A particular signal is broadcasted by the drones, which allows the security services to identify the location of the device and its pilot. This system is set up to deter rogue users from disrupting sensitive sites and airports. Ukraine had claimed that Moscow obtained special equipment to pinpoint the pilot’s position.

In the previous year, the United States Department of Defence said that the DJI drones “pose potential threats to National Security” and remained banned by the department.

The US Department of Commerce in 2020 said that the Chinese company stood among those allowing “wide-scale human rights abuses within China through abusive genetic collection and analysis or high-technology surveillance”.

ғᴜʀᴛʜᴇʀ ᴍᴏᴠᴇs ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʀɪᴀᴅ

Companies including the telecom companies like the camera maker Hikvision and Huawei have been placed on the entity list. Chopping off from the United States technology such as software and advanced semiconductors often stands a significant blow to their development.

Despite concerns from human rights groups, the United Kingdom has often declined to mirror US restrictions on Chinese companies. It expelled Huawei from its telecoms networks in 2020, and several Whitehall departments use the Hikvision cameras.

On the other hand, DJI told the media that US restrictions on the company “have little to do with security and are instead part of a politically-motivated agenda to support domestically produced drone technology and reduce market competition”.

ᴀᴄᴄᴜsᴇᴅ ᴏғ sʜᴀʀɪɴɢ ᴅᴀᴛᴀ ᴀᴄʀᴏss

Previously, the company was accused of deploying software which allows the drones to send data on their flight paths back to company-controlled servers in China.

However, in the late 2010s, the cybersecurity researchers who examined one of the DJI drone control apps said that they discovered features which enable data to be sent to the Chinese servers, but the company said that the users of the drones can opt-out of the data collection.

Later moves targeted at appeasing the United States government, including the making of a ‘local data mode’ which prevented all data sharing by DJI drones over the internet.

The DJI drones are a less expensive alternative to helicopters by the British police forces and other emergency services with Devon and Cornwall’s police operating around 35 of the remote-control craft. The force has thermal cameras mounted on some of the drones, which enable the police to hunt down suspects during the night hours. These devices have been employed to police protests and were also used during the COVID-19 lockdown for monitoring rural areas.

ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴀᴋᴇs ᴛʜᴇ ᴜs ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇʀɴᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ sɪʟᴇɴᴛ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴇᴀʟ?

Joseph P Chacko, a noted Defence And Security analyst, says that the Devon and Cornwall Police Department and the neighbouring Dorset Police Department in southwest England commissioned drone units in 2017. The drones in use include DJI Inspire drones, connected with a powerful thermal imaging camera and zoom camera, and a small DJI Mavic drone. The UK is not the only country which buys these drones. The first civilian use of a UAV from the manufacturer DJI was recorded in Japan in the early 1980s. The uncrewed helicopters were used to treat rice fields with pesticides. Subsequently, DJI drones have been used worldwide.

The US has banned the company in line with their concerns that the Chinese now dominate hardware and software once they preserve. DJI’s dominance in the world irks the US. DJI does not have many competitors because it has both the price and quality advantage. However, India might have the same concerns as the US, but the rest of the world does not hold similar concerns.

Earlier, the Indian government had announced new rules for drones in the country. Chinese companies like SZ DJI Technology Co get blocked in the emerging Indian market as the import of drones has been banned in India. DJI had over 70% of the market earlier. But in India, it’s becoming challenging to fly China-made drones with time.

The Indian authorities do not consider all drones equal. According to India’s first drone policy introduced in 2018, only those built as per the specific government requirements can apply for clearance. Drones which are heavier than 250 grams require a piece of special software installed called NPNT (No Permission – No Take-off) to fly in the country. This software acts like a digital lock that prevents it from taking off unless it receives prior permission via an online platform called the Digital Sky. Applications need to be submitted hours ahead of time.

As per open sources, Mitul Arora, DJI’s policy lead in India, said, “the company has no plans to tailor-make drones to meet India’s requirements, but drones like the DJI Tello and Mavic Mini, which both come in under 250 grams, aren’t subject to the regulations and are already available there.”

One key concern is that DJI software can send data to Chinese servers. It means that China gets the data of other countries, and that too paid for by the host country. However, both the company and the non-US users say that opting in to the company’s feedback system is optional. The company allows the presence of third-party observers while loading the software. The quality, the price, and the lack of substitutes force the government agencies worldwide to opt for DJI drones. The UK is the US pooch, but the pooches sometimes have moods.

– The writer is an Aerospace and Defence Analyst & Director ADD Engineering Components (India) Pvt Ltd (An Indo- German Company). The views expressed are of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda