Optiemus Unmanned Systems (OUS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Optiemus Infracom Limited, a leading telecommunications and electronics manufacturing group in India, unveiled four advanced drones at the Milipol India Exhibition 2025, held at the Yashobhoomi Convention Centre, New Delhi. On the sidelines of the launch, Ashok Gupta, Chairman of Optiemus Group, engaged in an exclusive conversation with Tech Achieve Media. Gupta shared his vision for the transformative potential of drones across sectors such as defense, agriculture, logistics, and disaster management. He highlighted how Optiemus aligns with the government’s “Make in India” initiative to drive indigenous manufacturing and foster global collaborations. With an ambitious focus on innovation and multi-solution capabilities, Gupta detailed how drones are set to redefine industries and play a pertinent role in shaping the future of automation and efficiency.
TAM: How do you see drones transforming the defense landscape?
Ashok Gupta: Drones are poised to become an integral part of our lives in the near future. While defense is one key area, drones will also revolutionize fields like disaster management, mapping, surveying, logistics, and agriculture. Wherever they are deployed, drones will undeniably add value to our lives.
Defense remains a critical vertical for us, but our broader focus aligns with the government’s “Make in India” initiative. One significant advantage today is that the government has restricted the use of Chinese parts, creating a strong push for indigenous manufacturing. This opens up opportunities for collaborations with global companies possessing advanced technologies. These companies can partner with us to co-develop solutions through design, R&D, and manufacturing, paving the way for market-ready innovations.
Also read: Optiemus Launches 4 New Drones at Milipol India Exhibition 2025
Our goal is to drive technological advancements across diverse domains, whether it’s agriculture-as-a-service, logistics, or firefighting. We aim to deliver comprehensive multi-solution capabilities through drones. In defense, the impact of drones has been transformative over the past five years, and we anticipate even more dramatic changes in the next five years. For instance, the Ukraine war has highlighted the strategic importance of drones, overshadowing other technologies.
To stay ahead, we are focusing extensively on drone technology. We are forging partnerships with Taiwanese and other international companies to innovate, design, and manufacture in India, ensuring we are market-ready with cutting-edge solutions.
TAM: What specific opportunities does the “Make in India” initiative present for the drone industry, and how is your organization leveraging them?
Ashok Gupta: Whatever we do, whether in collaboration with any company, all software will be developed in-house and will be 100% secure. We understand that data security is a top priority for governments across all sectors. Our commitment is to ensure full compliance with government directives, and we are focused on meeting those standards.
TAM: Can you elaborate on the potential of drones in agriculture-as-a-service and how they might enhance productivity and efficiency?
Ashok Gupta: You’ve touched on a very interesting topic. When it comes to agriculture, the real issue isn’t MSP (Minimum Support Price); the issue is yield. Many older farmers are hesitant to invest in or adapt to new crops and technologies. This is where innovative solutions like drones come in. Drones can perform tasks like pesticide spraying six to eight times more efficiently and safely, with no health hazards.
We are actively collaborating with the government, with a strong focus on ensuring everything is developed under the “Make in India” initiative. Our aim is to avoid any future challenges, especially concerning certifications. Currently, we offer drones for various agricultural applications, including mapping, pesticide spraying, seeding, and even soil testing. We are also engaging with Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and working on projects with ISRO for yield mapping. This is just the beginning of our journey. While our efforts today are crucial, our focus remains firmly on building for the future.
TAM: How do you see drones transforming everyday life beyond defense applications?
Ashok Gupta: Before I answer your question, let me add something. When you think of a drone, you see a flying machine. But we see a drone as a robot. It’s capable of doing whatever you design it to do. You mentioned defense, agriculture, and now software in relation to agriculture. This is just the beginning of the journey. It’s not the end. From here, drones will evolve into the unmanned space, where they’ll function like autonomous robots.
Unmanned space requires drones to have a “lab-grown mind”—a system capable of receiving commands, communicating, and executing tasks. The vision is to create a robot with its own intelligence, capable of communication and action, and adaptable to various applications. In agriculture, for instance, the journey has just started. In the future, drones could be designed to pluck apples from trees or harvest coconuts without human intervention. This isn’t just a concept; it’s already happening in other parts of the world.
Drones aren’t just machines; they’re robots capable of operating in the air, on the ground, and even subsurface. When it comes to software, the design has multiple layers. The tasks depend on what you ask the drone to do—whether it’s seeing, hearing, speaking, or even simulating basic human senses like taste. These foundational senses are now being replicated in drones, all as part of in-house development. Next comes the software that drives these functions. How does a drone replicate human behavior? How does it process the vast amounts of data it collects? These are critical questions that we address through advanced software solutions.
This is the start of a journey. Agriculture is a key focus, but drones also hold immense potential in medical applications. For instance, in remote villages where cars can’t reach, drones can deliver medical kits, monitor people, and provide digital health services. They can carry medicines from one place to another and perform tasks that were unimaginable before. In disaster management, drones can retrieve items from trenches, deliver supplies, or even rescue individuals. The possibilities are limitless. Drones are not just machines of today; they are the future. You’ll witness some incredible advancements in this field as we move forward.
