Indian Army Establishes AASHVAST Lab To Detect Chinese Drone Components

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