📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / U.S. News & World Report photographer Warren K. Le
Defence
10 Chinese drones seized at Delhi airport, GPS‑free capability traced to Vietnam
✍️ Bhaskar English
🗓 30 Sep 2026, 11:01 AM
👁 15
Customs officials at Indira Gandhi International Airport confiscated ten Chinese‑made drones that can operate without GPS, which were routed through Vietnam before reaching India.
Customs officers at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport seized ten unmanned aerial vehicles that were identified as Chinese-made drones. The seizure was reported by the airport's security team after routine inspection of cargo arriving from Southeast Asia.
According to the preliminary technical assessment, the drones are equipped with navigation systems that allow them to fly without relying on GPS signals, a feature that can be exploited to evade satellite‑based tracking.
Investigators traced the shipment's route to Vietnam, where the devices were reportedly transshipped before being loaded onto a cargo flight bound for India. The origin of the drones within China was not disclosed in the initial report.
Authorities have placed the seized equipment under forensic examination and have informed relevant defence and intelligence agencies to assess any potential security implications.
According to the preliminary technical assessment, the drones are equipped with navigation systems that allow them to fly without relying on GPS signals, a feature that can be exploited to evade satellite‑based tracking.
Investigators traced the shipment's route to Vietnam, where the devices were reportedly transshipped before being loaded onto a cargo flight bound for India. The origin of the drones within China was not disclosed in the initial report.
Authorities have placed the seized equipment under forensic examination and have informed relevant defence and intelligence agencies to assess any potential security implications.