Why in News?
The Indian Army inaugurated the AASHVAST facility in New Delhi on August 14, 2026, to identify Chinese components and security vulnerabilities in military unmanned systems.
Key Points
- AASHVAST stands for Assessment and Analysis of Electronic Systems Hardware for Vulnerabilities and Security Threats.
- The facility checks military unmanned systems for hidden passwords, encryption keys, remote-access mechanisms and foreign-made components.
- It also examines firmware, flight controllers and camera payloads for undisclosed command pathways and vulnerabilities to GPS spoofing or electronic jamming.
- AASHVAST is an air-gapped, read-only facility, so testing is done offline without modifying the equipment.
Exam Connect
- DG EME → Directorate General of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering → maintenance + electronic security of Army equipment