As India’s drone policy matures from a restrictive regime into a more innovation-friendly framework, questions remain over how quickly regulations can keep pace with the rapid evolution of weaponised aerial systems. In an interview with BW Businessworld, Nagendran Kandasamy, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Zulu Defence Systems, said that the policy environment needs greater clarity and faster alignment between regulation, procurement, and indigenous innovation to enable advanced defence technologies to scale in step with India’s emerging security requirements. Excerpts:
India’s drone regulations have evolved significantly since 2014. Do you believe the current policy framework adequately supports weaponised drone innovation and deployment?
India’s drone regulations have come a long way since 2014, transitioning from a largely restrictive and ambiguous environment to a more structured and innovation-friendly framework.
That said, when it comes to weaponised drone systems, the policy landscape is still evolving. Given the strategic and security sensitivities involved, a cautious and calibrated approach is understandable.
Going forward, greater clarity and faster alignment between policy, procurement, and indigenous innovation will be key. This will ensure that companies building advanced defence technologies are able to scale and deploy solutions in step with the country’s evolving security needs.
Defence startups globally are partnering with large primes to scale. Is Zulu exploring collaborations with Indian DPSUs or international OEMs for manufacturing and exports?
Partnerships are critical to scaling in the defence ecosystem, and we have been actively building them both in India and globally.
We have already established collaborations with DPSUs, which play an important role in aligning with domestic manufacturing and deployment frameworks. At the same time, we’ve initiated exports to select European and Middle Eastern markets.
Building on this early momentum, our focus now is on deepening these partnerships while expanding our global footprint in a calibrated manner, particularly in markets that are increasingly looking for agile and cost-effective defence technologies.
As warfare shifts towards AI-driven and autonomous swarms, how is Zulu addressing the balance between autonomy, human control, and ethical deployment?
As warfare moves toward AI-driven and swarm-based systems, the challenge is not just enabling autonomy, but doing so responsibly and with the right level of human oversight.
Our systems are built on scalable architectures that support high levels of autonomy and coordinated, swarm-capable operations. This allows for distributed, adaptive performance in complex and contested environments.
At the same time, we are mindful of maintaining the right balance between machine-led efficiency and human control. While we reduce dependency on constant human intervention to improve responsiveness, critical decision-making layers can still be structured to retain oversight where required.
Ultimately, our focus is on building resilient, intelligent systems that are not only operationally effective but also aligned with evolving expectations around control, accountability, and responsible deployment.
Zulu Defence Systems is building Advanced Air Defence Aerial Systems (AADAS). How does your approach differ from conventional drone and counter-drone architectures currently deployed by militaries?
Our approach with AADAS moves beyond the conventional model of standalone drones or isolated counter-drone systems. Instead, we have built it from first principles to respond to how modern warfare is actually evolving, dynamic, multi-domain, and increasingly autonomous.
At the core is an AI-driven software platform that brings together ISR, precision strike, and air defence into a unified operational framework. This allows different assets not just to operate but also to collaborate in real time across missions.
By integrating data, AI-led decision-making, and computer vision execution, AADAS significantly enhances situational awareness while reducing response time. The result is a more agile, coordinated, and effective system designed for dynamic combat environments rather than siloed operations.
Under Atmanirbhar Bharat, where does Zulu position itself, as a component innovator or a full-spectrum air defence solutions provider?
Under the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision, Zulu positions itself as a full-spectrum air defence solutions provider rather than just a component innovator. We are pursuing a pure-play OEM strategy with strong vertical integration across the AADAS platform, owning the full stack from core AI software and mission systems to hardware integration. This allows us to operate at the highest-value layer of the defence ecosystem.
More importantly, this approach gives us tighter control over system performance, faster iteration cycles, and far less dependence on external vendors. The outcome is a more reliable, mission-ready solution that can evolve quickly with changing operational needs.
Your ISR platforms, like HOVERBEE and RECON90, emphasise rapid deployment. How do they maintain operational effectiveness in GPS-denied and electronically contested environments?
Rapid deployment is a core design principle across all our ISR platforms, including HOVERBEE and RECON90. Still, it’s equally important that they remain effective in contested environments where GPS and communications can be unreliable.
To address this, our systems are built for high levels of autonomy, requiring minimal human intervention in the field. They are equipped with advanced Visual Positioning Systems (VPS) that use visual odometry to navigate accurately even in GPS-denied conditions.
This allows the platforms to maintain stability, orientation, and mission continuity despite electronic interference. In essence, we’re ensuring that rapid deployment doesn’t come at the cost of operational reliability, especially in complex and high-risk environments where resilience is critical.
DRAP enters the competitive loitering munitions space shaped by the Russia-Ukraine War. What differentiates your system in terms of autonomy, accuracy, and cost?
DRAP is a highly scalable, mass manufacturable, rapidly deployable loitering munition system designed for operations in complex and contested environments. Despite its small footprint, it supports flexible payload configurations and multiple mission profiles. The system enables responsive tasking with minimal operator input and is optimised for missions involving surveillance, target tracking, and time-sensitive operations. Its architecture supports operation in GPS-denied environments through advanced visual positioning and sensor fusion, ensuring reliable navigation and mission continuity.
Compared to legacy LM’s DRAP positioning itself as 3X smaller footprint for the same payload and range, 5X less observable to the enemy radar, and 2X operational speed makes it a class apart and also cost-effective and mass manufacturable
VOLUME35 can deploy 81mm payloads from UAVs. How do you ensure precision targeting while mitigating collateral damage risks in complex battlefields?
We have developed an AI-assisted software platform that processes multiple external factors to enhance situational awareness and improve operational decision-making.
The system fuses data from onboard sensors and environmental inputs such as terrains, motion, and winds, etc., to generate a more accurate target release position to enhance mission effectiveness and reduce collateral damage risks.
Conflicts such as the Israel-Hamas war have accelerated the evolution of drone warfare. What operational lessons have directly influenced your product design?
Modern operational environments have fundamentally shifted, with autonomous aerial systems becoming essential. Yet, most existing solutions are fragmented, constrained in autonomy, and ineffective in contested conditions.
Our platform addresses these limitations through first-principles engineering, delivering integrated, resilient, and highly autonomous systems designed for next-generation operations, and we are constantly evolving to adapt to emerging challenges and mission requirements.
Electronic warfare is increasingly decisive in modern combat. How is Zulu integrating anti-jamming, spoofing resistance, and EW capabilities into its systems?
Electronic warfare is a defining factor in modern combat, and resilience to it is built into our systems from the ground up.
We integrate dynamically frequency-switching communication modules, advanced encryption protocols, and jam-resistant array GPS antennas to ensure continuity even in heavily contested environments. These capabilities help safeguard against jamming and spoofing attempts while maintaining secure and reliable communication links.
The focus is on ensuring that our platforms can operate with confidence in degraded or denied conditions, without compromising on mission integrity or performance. |
