Each nation is allotted one seat on an upcoming Blue Origin flight, and applicants can secure a slot for just $2.50.

“India has achieved remarkable milestones in its space journey the past few years, including becoming the first country to reach the moon’s southern pole,” said Joshua Skurla, co-founder of SERA, of the program’s newest partner nation.

The U.S. and India last month strengthened their collaboration on human spaceflight and space security. NASA is also training an Indian astronaut for a trip to the International Space Station as early as this year.

SERA works with countries that have had few or no citizens reach the final frontier. In April, it purchased six seats on Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket that will fly citizen astronauts to the Kármán line, which at 100 kilometers is considered the boundary between Earth and space.

Formerly known as the Crypto Space Agency and funded by NFTs, the program played a role in Blue Origin’s fifth crewed spaceflight, NS-21, awarding a seat to Brazilian civil engineer Victor Hespanha, that country’s second astronaut, through a raffle.

According to SERA, more than 8 in 10 astronauts come from just three countries: the United States, Russia, and China. In June, it partnered with Nigeria’s National Space Research and Development Agency to send that country’s first citizen to space.

“Our mission is to democratize space by enabling citizens from over 150 countries with limited access to space to participate in ground-breaking research and create history,” said Skurla. “Our aim is to empower people globally to have a voice and stake in the future of space exploration.”

In an unprecedented move, SERA will allow people around the world to vote on which citizens will take the approximately 11-minute journey.

Anyone living in one of the program’s partner nations can apply to secure a seat. Applicants must be proficient in English, at least 18 years of age, and meet Blue Origin’s parameters for height, weight, physical fitness, and citizenship.

Five of the seats will be allocated to specific nations, and candidates will be voted on by citizens of those nations. The sixth will be open to anyone within a SERA-partnered country and chosen through a global vote. Remaining seat assignments will be announced later this year.

During the second quarter of 2024, voters will choose from 24 final candidates. After that, they will design and vote on the experiments the astronauts will perform during the flight. Later this year, a prelaunch docuseries will reveal the winning experiments.

Following three days of training at Blue Origin’s launch site in West Texas, the civilian crew will strap themselves into New Shepard sometime after the third quarter. The company’s next mission, NS-26, does not yet have an expected launch date.

“By giving communities the power to choose their astronauts, we ensure this mission is driven by people, for people,” said Sam Hutchison, who co-founded SERA alongside Skurla. “This approach will ignite national conversations on space and foster international collaboration in space exploration.”

Hutchison previously served as president of Boeing-backed Reaction Engines, which designs rocket engines intended for hypersonic flight.

SERA says its upcoming mission will be the first of several flights in partnership with Blue Origin. The company’s New Shepard rocket in December made a return to action following a grounding and FAA investigation into a September 2022 incident and in May launched another mission—its first crewed flight in nearly two years.

The spacecraft so far has performed as expected, which should give SERA confidence in being able to send more civilians to space in the near future.

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IndiGo is India’s largest airline, flying 100 million passengers in 2023.

“We are delighted to partner with Rolls-Royce for their future-ready Trent XWB engines as we expand our widebody aircraft fleet with an agreement to order a new fleet of A350-900 aircraft,” said Pieter Elbers, CEO of IndiGo. 

• READ MORE: IndiGo Places Record Airbus Order

According to Rolls-Royce, the Trent XWB is the “world’s most efficient large aero engine in service,” offering a 15 percent fuel consumption advantage over the first generation of Trent engines. 

The engine also “goes farther on less fuel” and is certified to operate on a 50 percent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) blend. The Trent XWB has also been proven compatible with 100 percent SAF for the future, the company said.

• READ MORE: India’s Prime Minister Takes Flight in Tejas Fighter

“This substantial order from IndiGo for our Trent XWB-84 engines is a great win for Rolls-Royce,” said Ewen McDonald, chief customer officer at Rolls-Royce. “It reaffirms the position of the Trent XWB as the future-ready, engine of choice among airline operators.” 

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JetSetGo, an Indian marketplace for private jet and helicopter charters that also operates its own fleet, on Friday announced strategic partnerships with Horizon Aircraft, Overair, and Electra.aero to order as many as 280 aircraft, which would value the deal at a whopping $1.3 billion. 

Each of the electric or hybrid-electric aircraft will bring unique capabilities to JetSetGo’s fleet, which comprises five midsize Hawkers and six other aircraft, ranging from large cabin jets to helicopters.

Horizon’s vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) Cavorite X7 and Electra’s ultra-short takeoff and landing (STOL) nine-seater—both hybrid-electric designs—will be the first to fly JetSetGo routes since they can utilize existing infrastructure, the company said. Overair’s Butterfly electric VTOL (eVTOL) air taxi will follow as Indian cities add the necessary infrastructure, such as charging stations.

The three designs will offer an “optimal mix” for five use cases identified by JetSetGo: airport transfers, regional connectivity, intercity commute, intracity shuttles, and urban air taxis. The company says India—which is plagued by road congestion issues, infrastructure challenges, and aviation emissions—will make an “ideal testbed” for AAM services.

“Our partnership with these three leading innovators will introduce unique technologies like ‘blown lift’ and ‘fan-in-wing’ lift systems, hybrid and electric propulsion, and super-quiet optimal speed tilt rotors to India,” said Kanika Tekriwal, co-founder and CEO of JetSetGo. “We want to lead the transformation of urban and regional connectivity and believe we have the right partners and technologies to make this vision a reality.”

The agreements lock JetSetGo into 150 firm orders—50 from each manufacturer—for a combined $780 million. But all three contracts include the option for it to acquire more aircraft.

Horizon, which announced its agreement earlier this week, will ship an initial batch of 50 Cavorite X7s to JetSetGo for $250 million. The firm has the option to acquire 50 more, which would double that deal’s value. Overair and Electra did not specify the initial order value or  number of options JetSetGo could acquire.

Horizon founder and CEO Brandon Robinson characterizes the company’s X7 as a “normal” aircraft with eVTOL capabilities, rather than an eVTOL with features of a traditional airplane. It uses a patented “fan-in-wing” configuration, similar to the Lilium Jet: 14 electric ducted fans are embedded in the wing to provide lift. During cruise, movable surfaces cover the fans.

The X7’s mix of features from traditional and electric aircraft make it something of an amalgamation. It can take off vertically or conventionally from the runway, for example, and a gas-powered range extender can charge its batteries during cruise. The air taxi won’t reduce emissions as much as all-electric designs, but Horizon says it will offer greater range, speed, and payload.

“This evolution will serve as a catalyst to accelerate our growth by providing the resources to continue the development and testing of our practical, real-world-use hybrid eVTOL, the Cavorite X7,” said Robinson.

Like the X7, Overair’s Butterfly offers some unique capabilities. The eVTOL deploys two technologies the firm says have never been integrated on an eVTOL design: optimum speed tilt rotor (OSTR) and individual blade control (IBC).

OSTR, which varies propeller revolutions per minute during vertical, forward, and transition flight, acts as a power saver, reducing energy demand in hover by as much as 60 percent. IBC, which is being researched by the U.S. Navy, limits the vibration of each blade to reduce propeller load and enable safer, smoother flights.

The combination of OSTR and IBC produces efficient, quiet propulsion through nearly any weather, temperature, or altitude, Overair says. Butterfly also features four oversized rotors, large cabin, and payload of about 1,100 pounds—enough for five passengers and their luggage. The company says it is ideal for passenger, medical, cargo, and military applications.

“Butterfly will provide a safe, quiet, and efficient mobility solution for urban and regional transport across the broadest range of weather conditions and geographic environments,”  said Valerie Manning, chief commercial officer at Overair. “In addition, the associated advanced air mobility ecosystem will create a multitude of jobs and fuel economic growth.”

As the lone all-electric VTOL manufacturer included in JetSetGo’s agreements, Overair will also support its new customer with infrastructure advisement, pilot training, infrastructure and software integration, operational guidance, and vertiport software integration.

Electra’s nine-seat design is also all-electric, but it won’t require VTOL infrastructure to get flying. The eSTOL design needs just 150 feet of runway for takeoff—that’s enabled through a unique technology called blown-lift, which allows the aircraft to take off at speeds as slow as a car driving through a residential neighborhood.

The eSTOL has a range of 500 nm and can carry up to 2,500 pounds of cargo. Compared to vertical takeoff alternatives, Electra claims the model offers more than twice the payload, 10 times the range, and 70 percent lower operating costs.

“Our aircraft’s unique ability to operate from soccer field-sized spaces, with the capacity to transport nine passengers up to 500 miles enables JetSetGo to identify new routes using eSTOL capability and deliver sustainable, affordable air connections to India’s communities previously underserved by flight,” said Marc Ausman, chief product officer of Electra.

Electra’s design was part of another massive hybrid-electric aircraft order from Dallas-based regional air carrier JSX. In December, the semiprivate operator signed letters of intent to acquire as many as 332 aircraft, including 32 firm orders and 50 options from Electra. JSX will also purchase Aura Aero’s Era and Heart Aerospace’s ES-30.

Several other American operators, including Surf Air Mobility and Bristow Group, have agreed to order or retrofit hybrid-electric designs as they seek to introduce new, sustainable, and potentially more cost-effective aircraft to their routes. In India, meanwhile, travel conglomerate InterGlobe in November agreed to purchase as many as 200 Midnight air taxis from Archer Aviation.

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Modi’s flight—reportedly the first for an Indian prime minister in a fighter jet—comes in the wake of the Indian Air Force (IAF) taking delivery of its first LCA Tejas fighter, produced by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), in October.

• READ MORE: Indian Air Force Takes Delivery of Twin-Seat Light Combat Aircraft

In a video released by the prime minister’s office, Modi is seen outfitted in a flight suit, walking up a set of red-carpeted stairs before climbing into the rear seat of the fighter and giving a thumbs-up.

“Successfully completed a sortie on the Tejas,” Modi later said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “The experience was incredibly enriching, significantly bolstering my confidence in our country’s indigenous capabilities, and leaving me with a renewed sense of pride and optimism about our national potential.”

Successfully completed a sortie on the Tejas. The experience was incredibly enriching, significantly bolstering my confidence in our country's indigenous capabilities, and leaving me with a renewed sense of pride and optimism about our national potential. pic.twitter.com/4aO6Wf9XYO

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 25, 2023

The LCA Tejas is an all-weather, multirole 4.5 generation fighter designed for offensive air support and close combat and ground attack, according to HAL. The single-seat variants are under production for the IAF and Indian Navy. The twin-seat variant is designed to support fighter pilot training.

“LCA Tejas is a versatile platform. It has been operationally deployed with the IAF and will be the mainstay of [the] IAF fighter fleet in years to come,” HAL said. “This visit has motivated HAL to rededicate itself to work toward fulfilling the Atamanirbharta [“self-reliant India”] goals of our country. HAL will continually strive for achieving excellence in indigenisation and self-reliance in [the] aerospace and defense sector.”

Watch video of India Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flight in a Tejas fighter

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San Jose, California-based Archer Aviation, the maker of the Midnight electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, on Thursday revealed plans to bring electric air taxi services to India in partnership with InterGlobe, one of the country’s largest travel conglomerates. A memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the partners includes an arrangement to finance InterGlobe’s purchase of up to 200 Midnight air taxis.

Compared to other large nations, India has a small market for ground-based rideshare services, estimated at just one-tenth of China’s market penetration. Uber, for example, is not yet profitable in India despite claiming to own more than half of the country’s rideshare demand.

Rahul Bhatia, group managing director of InterGlobe, and Nikhil Goel, chief commercial officer of Archer, signed the MOU to form a proposed partnership in a bid to compete with Uber and other ground-based rideshare services through urban air mobility (UAM).

The partners will instead offer short-haul rideshare flights. Archer’s piloted, four-passenger electric air taxi—a prototype of which recently made its inaugural test flight—is designed to ferry up to four passengers at a time on back-to-back UAM routes, with as little as 10 minutes of charge time between them.

For example, a passenger traveling between New Delhi’s Connaught Place and the nearby suburb of Gurugram—a 60- to 90-minute trip by car—could make the journey in just seven minutes, Archer said.

The manufacturer believes this model makes its service cost-competitive with on-demand apps such as Uber or India’s Ola. It expects to test that theory in India in 2026, beginning with operations in and around Mumbai and Bengaluru (two the country’s three most populous cities), as well as the Delhi capital region, subject to regulatory approvals.

“I founded Archer with the vision to help decongest the world’s largest cities,” said Adam Goldstein, founder and CEO of Archer. “India is one of, if not the largest opportunity for eVTOL aircraft utilization in the world, as it is home to the world’s largest population of over 1.4 billion people, and its largest cities face some of the greatest congestion challenges in the world.”

Archer and InterGlobe will work with other local business partners to operate Midnight, finance and build vertiport infrastructure, and train pilots and personnel. The partners are also exploring UAM use cases beyond passenger air taxi services. Cargo, logistics, medical, and emergency transport are on the table, as are private company and charter services, Archer said.

“Over the last two decades, InterGlobe has been involved in providing safe, efficient, and affordable transportation to hundreds of millions of Indians across the country,” said Bhatia. “We are excited at this new opportunity of bringing an effective, futuristic, and sustainable transport solution by introducing Archer’s electric aircraft to India.”

Ripe for the Taking

At a glance, India appears primed for a service like UAM, which could ferry passengers above the country’s bustling streets. It also happens to be the most populous nation on Earth, with hundreds of millions of potential customers. 

Yet only a handful of foreign manufacturers have made inroads there, making the Indian market ripe for the taking.

Eve Air Mobility, the eVTOL subsidiary of Embraer, is arguably the largest. Through an agreement with Blade India, a joint venture of New York City-based Blade Urban Air Mobility, Eve will build out a UAM ecosystem in India and deliver up to 200 air taxis.

Blade India is also working with Dallas-based Jaunt Air Mobility to launch one of the American firm’s first services, agreeing to purchase as many as 200 Journey aircraft. Most recently, Vman Aero Services, an Indian aircraft lessor, agreed to add U.K.-based Lyte Aviation’s 40-seat LA-44 SkyBus to its fleet.

According to comments from India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation in March, the country is ready to jump on the eVTOL bandwagon and get the aircraft flying in 2025. Rajiv Bansal, the agency’s secretary, said India “very much wants to be part of this global initiative.”

Amit Dutta, chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry’s Task Force on Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), added that short-haul air mobility services “are the next big disruption waiting to happen.” Dutta described electric air taxis as quieter, safer, and less expensive to operate compared to helicopters.

A few months later, eVTOL manufacturer The ePlane Company became the first in the country to receive design organization approval (DOA) from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)—India’s equivalent to the FAA. The DOA is one of the first steps in the country’s type certification process, which ePlane said optimistically it could complete before year’s end.

India is the second international launch market Archer has announced in as many months. The firm also plans to launch UAM operations across the United Arab Emirates in 2026 in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office. So far, India and the UAE are the only international markets it has announced.

In the U.S., Archer is eyeing a commercial launch in 2025 in partnership with United Airlines, one of its key backers. The partners will begin with operations in large metro areas such as New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles, flying passengers to and from United hub airports.

This week, the manufacturer acquired electric aircraft chargers from competitor Beta Technologies, including mobile charging stations, to bolster its infrastructure. And last month, it secured $65 million to support the construction of its scaled manufacturing plant in Covington, Georgia, which is expected to come online next year.

Archer has not yet said whether it will add manufacturing capabilities and a headquarters in India as it plans to do in the UAE. The manufacturer reports earnings for the third quarter Thursday afternoon, which could shed more light on the new launch agreement.

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The aircraft designed for fighter pilot training was presented to military officials during a ceremony Wednesday in Bengaluru, India. 

“I am proud to be part of this historic occasion and salute the spirit of HAL, which has been spearheading Swadeshi manufacturing in Defense,” Minister of State for Defense Ajay Bhatt said.

IAF has orders for 18 of the aircraft, eight of which are expected to be delivered by the end of 2024.

“This historic event today will mark the achievement of a key milestone of producing an LCA twin-seater, which is designed with a strategic intent of graduating the budding pilots from the twin-seater variants to fighter pilots,” the aircraft manufacturer told the Hindustan Times.

• READ MORE: India to Make Massive Purchase of US Reaper Drones

LCA Tejas

The LCA Tejas is an all-weather, multirole 4.5 generation fighter designed for offensive air support and close combat and ground attack, according to HAL. The single-seat variants are under production for IAF and the Indian Navy. 

HAL Hands Over LCA Tejas Twin Seater to IAF in Presence of RRM @SpokespersonMoD @giridhararamane @DefProdnIndia @gopalsutar@IAF_MCC @AjaybhattBJP4UK pic.twitter.com/32cZoo8RNL

— HAL (@HALHQBLR) October 4, 2023

“It is an amalgamation of contemporary concepts and technologies, such as relaxed static stability, quadraplex fly-by-wire flight control, carefree maneuvering, advanced glass cockpit, integrated digital avionics systems, and advanced composite materials for the airframe,” HAL told the Times of India.

• READ MORE: India Becomes 4th Nation to Put a Lander on Moon 

The fighter’s development in India has created a shift in the military’s defense procurement. “It has demonstrated that India has the talent, knowledge, and capability to design, develop, and manufacture world-class fighters,” Bhatt said.

In August, HAL reported that its first-quarter profits rose 31 percent due to its fulfillment of orders. The company, which is also a supplier to Airbus and Boeing, reported a net profit of $98.28 million for the quarter ending June 30 and has benefited from the government’s campaign to “make in India,”  according to Reuters.

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In the early hours of Wednesday morning, India’s Vikram lunar lander, part of the country’s Chandrayaan-3 (literal translation: “moon vehicle”) mission, successfully touched down on the moon’s surface. 

The “soft landing” cemented India as just the fourth nation to land a spacecraft on the earthly satellite alongside the U.S., the Soviet Union, and China. India is also the first country to land in the lunar south polar region, which is littered with craters and considered particularly difficult to reach.

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), the nation’s space agency, shared images captured by the lander as it approached the moon’s jagged facade.

Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
Updates:

The communication link is established between the Ch-3 Lander and MOX-ISTRAC, Bengaluru.

Here are the images from the Lander Horizontal Velocity Camera taken during the descent. #Chandrayaan_3#Ch3 pic.twitter.com/ctjpxZmbom

— ISRO (@isro) August 23, 2023

The mission’s success has drawn the praise of observers worldwide, from NASA administrator Bill Nelson to European Space Agency director general Josef Aschbacher and even Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Congratulations @isro on your successful  Chandrayaan-3 lunar South Pole landing! And congratulations to #India on being the 4th country to successfully soft-land a spacecraft on the Moon. We’re glad to be your partner on this mission! https://t.co/UJArS7gsTv

— Bill Nelson (@SenBillNelson) August 23, 2023

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also chimed in through a statement: “This success belongs to all of humanity. And it will help moon missions by other countries in the future. I am confident that all countries in the world, including those from the Global South, are capable of achieving such feats. We can all aspire for the moon and beyond.”

Historic day for India's space sector. Congratulations to @isro for the remarkable success of Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission. https://t.co/F1UrgJklfp

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 23, 2023

The SUV-sized Vikram lander and a smaller rover housed within, named Pragyan, will spend the next two weeks performing an array of scientific experiments. The mission will study things like lunar mineral composition and seismic activity and, crucially, search for water ice shrouded by the south pole’s abyssal craters and craggy peaks.

Race to the Moon

India is one of several global superpowers with its eye on the moon, and its rendezvous with the lunar surface was a big deal for the country’s citizens. The hope is the mission is a sign of things to come. But other nations are now racing to send humans to the lunar south pole.

Chandrayaan-3 took off in July, sending the uncrewed Vikram lander hurtling hundreds of thousands of miles toward the desolate rocky satellite. Getting there was no small task—in fact, this week’s landing followed ISRO’s Chandrayaan-2 mission, which failed to land Vikram on the moon in 2019.

It also came just days after Russia’s Luna-25 probe careened into the lunar surface. That mission also sought to land in the south polar region. The crash and India’s newfound success represent a major blow to Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, which said it lost contact with the lander shortly after it fired its engines in preparation for descent. Luna-25 was the agency’s first moon landing attempt in nearly half a century.

An uncrewed Japanese lunar mission ended in similar fashion in April. The mission’s lander was built by lunar robotic exploration company Ispace.

The private firm’s involvement in the mission is not uncommon in the modern era of space exploration. Increasingly, NASA has enlisted the private sector to assist with uncrewed launches. Two such missions—one each helmed by Houston-based Intuitive Mechanics and Pittsburgh-based Astrobotics—are scheduled to launch in the next 12 months. SpaceX has also become a key partner for NASA, providing it with spacecraft like the Crew Dragon.

The ISRO will now compete with NASA and the China Manned Space Agency to land the first humans on the moon’s south pole—both are expected to launch crewed missions to the region before the end of the decade. China’s is expected to arrive by 2030.

The U.S. effort, Artemis III, scheduled for 2025, has enlisted SpaceX to provide the landing system that will transport humans between lunar orbit and the surface. The expedition would put American astronauts on the moon for the first time since the 1972 Apollo 17 mission.

NASA is also expected to fly Indian astronauts to the International Space Station next year. That agreement took shape around the same time India became the 27th country to sign the Artemis Accords during a June meeting between Modi and President Joe Biden. It will work with the U.S. and other signatories to establish principles to guide cooperation among nations in space exploration.

India, the U.S., and other global leaders are racing to the moon’s southern tip because there is thought to be an untapped supply of water ice nestled within the region’s craters and trenches. NASA probes and other spacecraft have so far identified small amounts of the frozen compound near the south pole, which is assumed to have a higher concentration than in other regions.

“There’s water there, which was one of the findings of Chandrayaan-1,” Ian Whittaker, a senior lecturer in physics at Nottingham Trent University, told Al Jazeera. “This water can be used for a lot of things. We could also look for building materials.”

Lunar water ice could provide records of the moon’s history and clues to the origins of oceans. But on future moon missions, it could also serve as a source of drinking water for astronauts or a coolant for their equipment. These water reserves could even be broken down to produce breathing oxygen or hydrogen fuel.

The discovery and extraction of lunar water ice could be critical to the formation of long-term human settlements on the moon. Logistically, transporting water from the Earth to the moon would be a nightmare. But if astronauts can find a way to harness the frozen sea beneath the lunar surface, countries could begin to build bases that may one day serve as waypoints for expeditions to Mars and beyond.

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First reported by Reuters, India’s order for 31 MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones from the U.S. government is on the precipice of going through after India’s defense ministry approved it. The deal was initially brokered for 22 SeaGuardian aircraft all the way back in 2017 but has stalled for years.

According to General Atomics, use cases for the MQ-9B, also known as the Reaper, range from disaster relief and search and rescue to anti-submarine warfare and long-range surveillance, intelligence, and reconnaissance.

The sale of MQ-9B drones, manufactured by defense contractor General Atomics, will net the U.S. government just more than $3 billion. But the move has larger geopolitical implications, potentially serving to ward off China’s growing military or reduce India’s reliance on Russian drone technology. The U.S. in recent months has been working to strengthen its defense ties with India.

Per The Times of India, the defense ministry’s Defense Acquisition Council submitted an initial “acceptance of necessity” for the deal, the first major step toward pushing it through. Now, it awaits clearance from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet, which is expected to be announced next week when Modi meets with President Joe Biden.

Since November 2020—around the time the deal was supposed to have been approved—the Indian Air Force has been operating two leased SeaGuardian drones, capable of flying more than 30 hours at an altitude of more than 40,000 feet. So far, they’ve logged thousands of flight hours conducting surveillance along the Indian coastline.

Still, a final purchase agreement between the two sides has yet to come to fruition. In February 2022, conflicting reports conversely characterized the deal as on hold or in advanced stages as it awaited approval from India’s defense ministry. But if recent reports are accurate, it seems the latter outlook was the correct one.

India’s SeaGuardian order, if approved, appears to be the largest purchase of MQ-9B aircraft, which also exist in a SkyGuardian variant. Publicized deals have typically consisted of a handful of SeaGuardian deliveries—only a few have included more than 10. The drone is operated by several U.S. allies, such as the U.K. and Belgium.

It’s worth noting, though, the deal will not be final until Modi’s cabinet submits a formal “letter of request” to initiate the sale. Previous reports have also suggested the final number of MQ-9B aircraft to be delivered may be revised down.

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In some areas, like rules surrounding unmanned traffic management (UTM), the two regulatory bodies are quite similar. But they diverge on issues like safety, for example, where the FAA’s hands-off approach clashes with EASA’s more heavy-handed policies. 

To be clear, the agencies are not enemies—they’ll meet in Germany in less than two months to discuss safety regulations and other rulemaking strategies, as they have for nearly two decades. But when two of the world’s most prominent aviation regulators disagree, who should other nations look to?

India on Thursday made its answer clear.

At this week’s EU-India Aviation Summit in New Delhi, India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and EASA signed letters of intent for a collaboration that will see the two sides work together to establish new regulations for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and UTM, answering calls from several regional ACI [Airports Council International] groups.

The agreement builds on a working arrangement between the two agencies, first established in 2021, to promote the sharing of safety information and rulemaking best practices. It also follows a historic deal that saw Air India, the country’s largest airline, purchase close to 500 jets from Airbus, Boeing, and other U.S. and E.U. manufacturers.

Together, EASA and DGCA will develop standards for drones and other urban air mobility solutions, like electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) systems. As part of the collaboration, the Airports Authority of India will also work with the EU’s Eurocontrol to manage increasingly congested air traffic. The two will exchange data on flight plans and profiles.

“Connectivity and innovation are two themes that we share with the European Union,” Rajiv Bansal, India’s civil aviation secretary, told Business Standard India. “We have shared ambitions and aligned objectives. I do believe there are several opportunities for win-win solutions between India and the EU in areas of air traffic management, infrastructure growth and host of innovation areas such as drones, eVTOL devices, hydrogen-powered vehicles.”

But what will those solutions look like? Taking a look at India and the E.U.’s current policies might be a good place to start.

In India, regulations are fairly stringent. Similar to the FAA’s remote identification rules, most drones—in this case, those weighing over 0.55 pounds—must have a Unique Identification Number and be type-certified. But unlike U.S. laws, Indian regulations forbid all flights where a drone goes beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS) of the operator. 

The country also has a “No Permission, No Takeoff” policy, wherein drone pilots, through a digital platform, must submit a request to take off before every flight. Under that rule, each drone must include specific hardware, such as a real-time tracking beacon that communicates location data.

The E.U. is a bit more lax. EASA organizes drones into three categories—open, specific, and certified—each with its own set of rules. 

Drones in the “open” category must weigh less than 55 pounds (with the exclusion of those purchased before Jan. 1, 2023) and cannot operate near people or above an altitude of 400 feet—nor can they carry “dangerous goods” like blood transfusions or medical samples. These flights must also stay within the pilot’s line of sight.

The “specific” category has a few more hoops to jump through. These drones require a standard scenario approval from EASA or an operational authorization from a National Aviation Authority where operations will take place—and sometimes both. However, this category permits BVLOS flights and flights at higher altitudes. It also allows drones to drop cargo when making deliveries.

Finally, heavier drones or those completing high-risk trips fall under the “certified” category. As the name implies, these aircraft require airworthiness certification from EASA and the relevant national regulator. Pilots must obtain a special license to fly these drones, which are typically larger, operate in controlled airspace or carry “high-risk” payloads, like vaccines.

By and large, the FAA sees eye-to-eye with EASA when it comes to topics like remote identification—both regulators require most drones to be trackable. But there are some key policy discrepancies.

For one, the FAA does not have regulations addressing the operation of drones heavier than 55 pounds, which are covered under EASA’s certified category. And while there are restrictions in place for UAS below that weight, the FAA frequently grants waivers that skirt some of those rules, signaling a need for updated regulations.

That leniency is also evident in the agency’s policy on operations over people, which allows any certified drone to fly over people, and in certain circumstances at night, without an individual approval or waiver. Contrast that with EASA’s rule, which calls for special authorizations when operating over people.

Interestingly, though, the FAA has taken a slower approach to BVLOS regulations. As the agency works toward a firm rule on long-range trips that extend beyond the pilot’s view, it can only facilitate those operations—like cargo drone deliveries—through waivers.

In the E.U., it’s a different story. 

EASA’s U-Space regulation, which took effect at the start of January, gave member countries a new framework for BVLOS flights by designating airspace for complex operations to take place. These “U-Space” regions will be managed by air traffic services and certified providers, which will share data and coordinate with drone operators.

U-Space will be a massive undertaking, and it will need work to enable BVLOS flights without approval. But the ball is rolling – fast.

That brings us back to India. As things stand, the country’s drone regulations resemble those in the U.S. – heavily limited BVLOS flights, strict remote identification rules, and standardized type-certification requirements.

But in a few years, India’s airspace may look a lot like the E.U.’s.

“We have a comprehensive policy and regulatory framework to ensure that drones and drone operations are safe, secure, and green,” Adina-Ioana Vălean, the E.U.’s commissioner for transport, told Business Standard. “We also have a U-Space regulation, which we updated recently, to ensure that drones are integrated safely within air space management. And earlier this year, we adopted the Drones Strategy 2.0, which proposes concrete actions to support the deployment of a drone ecosystem by 2030.”

If Vălean’s comments are any indication, we could soon see an Indian version of U-Space or EASA’s three categories of UAS. That gives us an idea of how the country’s drone industry will shake out in the coming years. In the E.U., commercial operations are limited due to EASA’s stringent policies around safety—the case will likely be the same in India.

That stands in stark contrast to the FAA, which has encouraged commercial drone operations in the short term through individual waivers and approvals. But only time will tell which approach—hands-on or hands-off—yields greater success in the years to come.

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