'Baseless, factually incorrect': Indian Army rubbishes reports of drone hacking by China's PLA
The Indian Army has refuted claims that China’s PLA hacked an Indian drone, calling the reports baseless and misleading.
FollowNew Delhi: The Indian Army on Tuesday dismissed reports alleging that a Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) was hacked by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA), calling them “baseless and factually incorrect.”
A defence news portal had claimed that an Indian drone operating near the eastern sector of the border with China unexpectedly veered into Chinese-controlled territory. The report further alleged that the drone was briefly controlled by the PLA before being returned to the Indian side.
Terming the report as “misleading,” the Indian Army urged media houses and social media users to refrain from spreading unverified content that could create unnecessary alarm.
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“A social media post alleges that an Indian Army Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) veered into Chinese territory in the Eastern Theatre. The article also claims that the RPA was hacked by the PLA. It is clarified that the article is completely baseless and factually incorrect. No such incident has taken place,” the Army stated.
The report also claimed that the drone in question was of Israeli origin.
Scrapped Drone Deals Amid Cybersecurity Concerns
The controversy comes at a time when the defence ministry recently scrapped three deals with domestic private sector firms worth Rs 230 crore. The contracts were for the procurement of 400 logistic drones for the Indian Army, including 200 medium-altitude drones, 100 heavyweight drones, and 100 lightweight logistics drones.
The decision followed concerns over the potential hacking of drones that use Chinese-manufactured components. Previous intelligence reports have warned against the use of Chinese-origin hardware and software in sensitive defence systems.
In both 2010 and 2015, the Directorate General of Military Intelligence (DGMI) had advised that critical and non-critical components should be sourced from non-Chinese manufacturers to mitigate risks of embedded malware and real-time data leaks.
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Past Incidents of Drone Malfunctions
It is noteworthy that in August 2024, an Indian Army infantry unit deployed along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir’s Rajouri lost control of a fixed-wing Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) drone, which then crossed into Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK).
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