Indian government reveals new system able to detect Chinese-made components in military drones
Indian Army opens lab built to expose hidden drone vulnerabilities.
Chinese-origin chips face heavier scrutiny under new army protocols.
AASHVAST technicians hunt hidden passwords buried inside drone control systems.
The Indian Army has opened a new laboratory in New Delhi designed to inspect military drones for hidden software flaws and unauthorized parts.
The Assessment and Analysis of Electronic Systems Hardware for Vulnerabilities and Security Threats (AASHVAST) facility checks whether a drone's components truly match what its documentation claims, flagging cases where parts appear to have been swapped in.
Investigators will pay particular attention to circuitry and chips that may have originated from Chinese suppliers rather than approved manufacturers listed in procurement records.
Hardware checks probe the drone's supply chain According to Indian officials, even minor deviations in hardware markings or circuit layouts can trigger closer scrutiny of a drone's supply chain.
Technicians search each onboard controller and camera unit for concealed passwords, secret command pathways, and embedded encryption keys that could grant unauthorized access.
The team also checks for altered flight-control limits and tools that might allow someone to seize remote command of the aircraft.
They further confirm whether each drone will install only updates issued by its original manufacturer, closing off a common route for tampering.
The team also measures how well a drone's navigation holds up when exposed to jamming or spoofing signals meant to mislead it.
The entire process occurs without an internet connection, and no data from the tested drone can be copied to external systems.
Examination also proceeds without altering the drone's own software, so nothing is written back onto the hardware at any stage.
This offline design suggests an intent to prevent classified information from leaving army custody or falling into the wrong hands.
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