Karnataka plans to set up drone testing hub near Bengaluru

Bengaluru: Karnataka on Friday announced plans to set up a dedicated drone flight testing facility near Bengaluru.

The state also plans to streamline the regulatory framework for the sector, in a push to attract drone manufacturers and startups, the IT/BT department said in a statement.

The announcements came at a high-level industry consultation convened by the IT/BT department, chaired by minister Priyank Kharge, in collaboration with the Drone Federation of India (DFI). Senior officials, drone startups and industry stakeholders attended the session, it said.

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"Karnataka is committed to leading India's drone economy by moving decisively on infrastructure, policy enablement and real-world adoption," Kharge said. He added that the state is focused on creating shared testing facilities and simplifying regulatory pathways for startups and industry.

The testing facility near Bengaluru will be operationalised on an accelerated timeline, the statement said. Early-stage industry access will run in parallel with institutional framework development.

Discussions also covered skilling and talent development, expanded government adoption of drone technology in public service delivery, and a proposal to launch an annual Bengaluru Drone Festival, it said. The event would combine drone racing, hackathons, and innovation showcases to position the city as a national drone technology destination.

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Among the participants were representatives from aerospace and defence firms such as IdeaForge, Asteria Aerospace, Newspace Research & Technologies, Aereo, Vecros, CD Space Robotics, Airbound, LAT Aerospace and Unmanned Autonomy, the statement said.

DFI president Smit Shah, IT/BT secretary N Manjunath, KITS managing director Rahul Sharanappa Sankanur and KDEM chief executive Sanjeev Kumar Gupta also attended.