Vikash Bhagchandka, President, M2K Group

AIBM

January - March 2018

Vikash Bhagchandka, President, M2K Group

As the detection infrastructure and safety in India is not yet equipped for secure drone operations, Vikash Bhagchandka, talks to AIBM about how M2K is working to bring in drone security.

What are the products and technologies you offer for aviation safety and security?

M2K is offering new technological products and solutions that will improve aviation safety. We are actively marketing DroneShield Anti-Drone Solutions to Indian agencies. DroneShield provides protection against drones threatening safety, security and privacy. Our state of the art detection and counter measure products aid security forces against significant and growing threats that drone technology makes possible.

Do you have international tie-ups to bring their products to the Indian market?

Yes, we have joint venture with various firms hailing from Australia, Europe, Israel and United States of America (US). A few of them are DroneShield (anti drone system) – Australia, Rebel Space (drone recovery systems) – Netherlands, Martin Aircraft Company – New Zealand, Marques Aviations (drones) – United Kingdom, PY Innovations (drones) – France, Delair Tech (drones) – France, and Reshet Graf (Infra Red ID patched for preventing fratricides incidents) – Israel.

Can you elaborate about your marketing, research and technological services for security at airports?

We have done various surveys related to aerial threats intrusion in airport infrastructure and came out with a conclusion that anti-drone solution is the need of the hour. In addition to above, as the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) are working together towards formulating guidelines towards drone operations, I think before opening skies we should be equipped with the detection and neutralising infrastructure.

Do you provide in-house training to your employees to keep them abreast with new technologies and developments in security?

Yes, we do train our manpower and from time to time we keep on sending them for refresher courses to foreign Original Equipmemt Manufacturers (OEMs).

What are the key focus areas for security enhancement for 2018?

We aspire to create a safe and secure infrastructure for drone operations in India. In addition, we are planning drone operations for civil usages and working consistently to enhance the logistics industry by deploying heavy lift drones.

What according to you are the challenges prevailing for security at airports in India?

We see no challenges; we only see opportunities for the improvements. A more proactive approach is needed to keep abreast with the technological changes.

How is airport security and surveillance technology evolving to meet the latest demands?

We strongly believe India is moving in a very positive direction to achieve world-class security and surveillance infrastructure. Our Indian forces are trained in such a way that there is very low probability of getting prone to attacks. Safety, security and surveillance are totally dependent upon our intelligence networks and I think they are masters in their roles.

What do you think makes today’s airports unique from a security perspective?

Learning from the past unfavourable events, today our security forces are equipped with latest safety, security and surveillance equipment, which makes us feel secure at any corner of the airports.