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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Sanctions are pushing Russia into the arms of rogue states and deepening dependence on China, a think tank said. </li><li>The threat of sanctions against foreign lenders is crippling Moscow's war production, a note from CEPA said. </li></ul>Western sanctions are straining Russia's ability to fight in Ukraine, even if its war economy appears resilient and its <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/commodities/russia-economy-oil-price-increase-impact-tax-revenue-western-sanctions-2024-4?_gl=1*12m8y8e*_ga*MTMxNDIwNDI1Ni4xNjc1Njg3OTU4*_ga_E21CV80ZCZ*MTcxMjY4Mjc0Ny4yOTguMC4xNzEyNjgyNzQ3LjYwLjAuMA..">output seems largely unfazed</a>, a think tank expert said.Writing for the Center for European Policy Analysis, Stephen Blank noted that the Kremlin's issues are becoming more acute, especially considering the relationships it's formed to stay afloat."Its defense output is clearly facing problems given the Kremlin is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-deals-north-korea-iran-no-laughing-matter-ukraine-experts-2024-3">constantly running</a> to North Korea and Iran for missiles, drones, and even artillery shells, thereby incurring serious IOUs that must be paid to these rogue states in the future," the Foreign Policy Research Institute senior fellow said.The way Blank sees it, that's a consequence of improving sanction efforts. Of note is a US executive order from December, allowing the Treasury Department to place restrictions on foreign financial institutions that support Russia's military industry. "This may well be a harbinger of a whole new generation of sanctions targeting Russian military production, not just the financial facilitators of Russia's war machine, but the trans-shippers, the intermediate companies, possibly even the salespeople and manufacturers that help Russia's war machine keep humming," he wrote for <a href="https://cepa.org/article/us-throws-spanner-into-russias-industrial-machine/">CEPA in January</a>. Already, this order has put off lenders in India, China, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates from working with Russia, Blank said. Even an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-russia-western-sanctions-raiffeisen-foreign-bank-exit-deripaska-stock-2024-3">Austrian bank is under notice</a> from the US, due to a branch it holds in Russia. Not only is this slowing Moscow's defense production, it's cutting into its oil revenue, with energy firms in the country <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-china-economy-trade-oil-payments-sanctions-banks-delays-vtb-2024-4">waiting months to receive payments</a>. Individual sanctions have also targeted vessels carrying Russian crude above the Western $60-barrel price cap, reducing the Kremlin's ability to trade.With fewer available tankers, freight costs have climbed, and the discount Russia has offered on its oil has eroded. That's caused India to increasingly look <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/commodities/russia-oil-trade-crude-india-discount-barrel-sanctions-price-cap-2024-2">elsewhere for crude</a>, despite being the biggest buyer of seaborne Russian oil in 2023.Instead, China now bears that title, deepening a partnership with Moscow that favors Beijing."It also signals the Kremlin's growing dependence on China, which contradicts the entire raison d'être of Russian security policy, namely the assertion of its sovereignty and supposed rights as a great power," Blank said.Others have gone as far as calling Russia a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cia-chief-ukraine-war-failure-for-russia-on-many-levels-2024-1">new economic vassal state</a> of Beijing, securing discounted oil for China and a large market for its products. Bilateral trade between the two countries hit $240 billion last year, while Chinese <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-economy-outlook-exports-trade-war-russia-partnership-us-sanctions-2024-3">exports into Russia rose 12.5%</a> in the first two months of 2024. Although Blank considers criticism that sanctions have been ineffectual to be misplaced, he argued that more needs to be done for the West to fully cripple Russia's war efforts and disincentivize trade with it.The US and its allies, he said, need to provide a more robust strategy alongside these restrictions, such as timely weapons provisions to Ukraine, and counteroffensive measures to Russian disinformation.

Sanctions are squeezing Russia, turning up its dependence on China and 'rogue' states, think tank says

<ul><li>The Indian government is currently looking into counter UAV measure to take down 'rogue' drones. </li><li>Even though there are guidelines in place, the government doesn't have a mechanism in place to tell good drones from 'rogue' drones. </li><li>Nearly 50,000 drones in the Indian airspace are flying without meeting the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR). </li></ul>It's not rare to find illegal drones <a href="http://www.micetalk.com/editions/2017/MTJul17.pdf">filming Indian weddings</a> or social events across the country. But the big, fat, Indian wedding may have to wait with the government mulling over options to counter unlicensed drones in India's airspace. "We don't know which drone is rogue and which is good. We should have technology to counter it. Whether you go in for commercial or security purposes, the technology has to be such which can prevent the <keyword id="6039791" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="rogue-drones">rogue drones</keyword> in our country," Rakesh Asthaana, Director General, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) said. "We have taken the live trials; second pilot has just been completed and we are in the process of finalising our reports which we will be submitting to the ministry soon," Asthaana shared. Before the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/flying-drones-is-finally-legal-in-india/articleshow/65573434.cms">drone guidelines</a> were implemented in India, there were around 50,000 drones operating in its air space, according to a report by FICCI and E&amp;Y. Even though these drones were flying around, almost none of them meet the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) and aren't compliant with the no-permission no-take off (NPNT) mandate. So there's no way to stop them even if they're spotted flying against the law. Social 'rogue' drones It's not just weddings that are in question. The risk is greater when the event in question is on a bigger scale — like the Kumbh Mela were <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/allahabad/1-4-crore-people-take-dip-as-kumbh-mela-begins/articleshow/67543932.cms">140 million</a> people were taking a dip in the Ganga this year. At the same time, there was a <a href="https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india-kumbh-mela-2019-isis-issues-threats-of-chemical-attack-ndrf-conducts-mock-drill-499659">terrorist threat</a> at large. A disruption from a 'rogue' drone at this time can potentially result in severe damage, according to the report. It also highlights that India more vulnerable to collateral damage because of its high population density of 411 persons per square kilometer. Drones, which can be controlled wirelessly, can be controlled from anywhere within a 13 square kilometer area — larger than an Indian city suburb. So, that makes tracking the person controlling the drone difficult to track down. Irresponsible 'rogue' drones The threat of drones isn't only to people on the ground but also to other vehicles that share the same air space. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates that India's aviation industry will continue to grow at a rapid pace. As of March 2019, India had 103 operation airports with India planning to hit 190 to 200 airports by 2040. The increasing amount of aircraft means there more air traffic for drones to be wary of. Irresponsible or mistaken 'rogue' drones can increase the risk faced by flights. CAR can't stop 'rogue' drones The first official notice to ban the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the Indian air force was issued back in 2014 by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). But, despite the notice it was difficult to actually enforce the ban. India's geographical vastness limits the ability of the government to monitor flights of these 50,000 'rogue' drones that aren't registered with the authorities. And, that's where counter unmanned aerial system (cUAS) technology comes in. Traditional methods like anti-aircraft radars don't generally pick up on drones because they have been designed to detect large metallic object that move fast. Drones, on the other hand, move slower and fly lower. The first step is normally to mandate no-fly zones, which is something the Indian government has already implemented with the green, amber and red zones. The NPNT process ensures that drones are automatically directed back to their home location before they actually enter a fly zone. But, a complete cUAS system has to be capable of detecting, tracking as well as intercepting drones. "If we can manufacture world class drones within the country, we can obviously manufacture world class <keyword id="7937097" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="counter-drone-measures">counter drone measures</keyword>. Otherwise what will happen is dependence on global market will continue for the anti-drone measures as it is for drones currently," shared Sanjay Jaju, Joint Secretary in the Department of Defence Production at the Ministry of Defence.

Drones at big, fat, Indian weddings might not be able to fly under the radar anymore

<ul><li>Made-in-India drone companies are seeing a boost in sales post ban of drone imports by the government. </li><li>Consumer brands like Swiggy, Zomato, Dunzo and <keyword id="41887" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="biryani" source="Orion">Biryani</keyword> by Kilo have started launching trials for delivery by drones. </li><li>Drones are being used for defense, consumer and delivery purposes. </li><li><keyword id="1605364" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="throttle" source="Orion">Throttle</keyword>, a drone manufacturing company based out of Bangalore, witnessed a 150% growth. </li></ul>Declaring the Indian drone industry as a ‘sunrise sector’, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, under the Ministry of Commerce, banned the import of drones in February. This has given a fillip to homegrown drone companies that are finding innovative uses for these unmanned aerial vehicles. One of India’s leading drone companies <keyword id="7785402" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="throttle-aerospace-systems" source="Orion">Throttle Aerospace Systems</keyword> (TAS) witnessed a 150% growth since the announcement. Even e-commerce companies like Dunzo, Swiggy and Zomato have ventured into the drone delivery space. Last year, Zomato acquired a drone startup <keyword id="6576859" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="techeagle" source="Orion">TechEagle</keyword> to build models that can help deliver essentials and possibly food in the near future. Medicines and Biryani from the sky <keyword id="2757817" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="rattanindia" source="Orion">RattanIndia</keyword>’s drone company Neosky in association with TAS, is now planning to also supply drones for e-commerce and consumer-led initiatives besides defence. The companies have partnered with Dunzo, leading hospitals in India and even grocery delivery for Instamart, by Swiggy. At present, they are manufacturing 30 drones per month, aiming to go upto 45-50 units in the near future. Consumer brands like Swiggy recently partnered with Garuda Aerospace and Throttle to launch doorstep deliveries for groceries through Instamart. Its trials have already begun across Delhi-NCR and Bangalore. Another startup Biryani by Kilo delivered Biryani to eight influencers post the launch of eight stores in Hyderabad. As of now, the drone space in India is extensively being used in the defense sector and helping with delivery of average payload commodities. “We can see consumer led drones picking up but before that we would need designated drone corridors by the government. As of now, drones would be extensively used in the defense sector or for average load deliveries. Though it is exciting to witness food being delivered by a drone, it is further down the future,” said Sarath Chandra <keyword id="14985844" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="gudlavalleti" source="Orion">Gudlavalleti</keyword>, CEO of Neosky. The government too had founded extended uses for drones. During the pandemic, a box weighing 12 kilos of medicines and 20 vials of vaccines was delivered to rural parts of Telangana through drones in an initiative called ‘Medicines from the Sky’. ‘Laws for this sector are still being made’ The government is taking active steps to boost domestic manufacturing of drones. On July 6, 2022, India’s aviation ministry released the second provisional list of 23 beneficiaries of the production-linked incentives (PLI) scheme for the drone industry. Combined annual sales turnover of PLI beneficiaries in the drone industry reached ₹3.19 billion in 2021-22 from ₹880 million the previous year. “A welcome change by the government was to stop drone imports which has boosted Make In India drone companies. Dividing India’s airspace into Red, Green and Amber zones has also helped. But laws for this sector are still being made as it is very new,” said Gudlavalleti. The Ministry of Civil Aviation has divided the Indian airspace into three zones- Green (no permission required), Amber (controlled airspace) and Red (no drones allowed). The government also launched a DigitalSky platform in January 2022 for verification of Made in India drones. The drone defender Through small steps, the Indian government is also opening the door for commercial use of drones during disaster management and even economic mapping. Beginning April 2022, all drone operators have been allowed to promote secure operations without needing multiple approvals by possessing a valid UIN. Throttle is one such beneficiary. On Thursday, RattanIndia through their drone company Neosky assisted with manufacturing company Throttle launched a ‘drone defender.’ It was unveiled by Minister General <keyword id="6364699" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="v-k-singh" source="Orion">V K Singh</keyword>, MOS Aviation Ministry at Air Force Auditorium during the ‘Unmanned Aerial Systems India 2022’ event on September 13. “This drone is 70% indegenious and launches a soft-kill against approaching rogue drones without any human intervention. Instead of using direct attack, this drone will pull down the attacker by shooting a net,” said <keyword id="14985845" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="nagander-ramaswamy" source="Orion">Nagander Ramaswamy</keyword>, CEO of drone manufacturing company TAS. “We have acquired a 60% stake in Throttle and hope to build our capacity further,” said Gudlavalleti. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/cant-be-locking-horns-with-zomato-and-swiggy-says-restaurant-body/articleshow/94203208.cms">Can’t be locking horns with Zomato and Swiggy, says restaurant body</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sustainability/news/india-to-assume-g20-presidency-for-one-year-from-december-2022-host-over-200-meetings-and-mea-lists-priorities/articleshow/94194674.cms">India to assume G20 Presidency for one year from December 2022; host over 200 meetings and MEA lists priorities</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/harsha-engineers-ipo-opens-today-grey-market-premium-is-at-210/articleshow/94197117.cms">Harsha Engineers IPO opens today; grey market premium is at ₹210</a>

Medicines and Biryani from the sky: Made-In-India drones witness growth post import ban

With a growing indigenous base of manufacturers, <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword>'s <keyword id="2757731" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="drone-industry" source="Orion">drone industry</keyword> may play an instrumental role in public services such as agriculture, defence, healthcare and infrastructure maintenance in the future, say experts while also highlighting some concerns around the safety and privacy of these unmanned aerial vehicles. Drones are mini pilotless aircraft operated by remote control and can be accessed through simple devices like a smartphone app. These unmanned vehicles require far less effort, time and energy, and can reach far and difficult terrains while being controlled by a single person remotely. Popularity and adoption of drone technology is catching up across regions and sectors and India is no exception to it. Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said last month that India will need approximately one lakh drone pilots in the coming years. In order to showcase the potential of the indigenous drone industry, India recently organised its biggest drone festival in the national capital. Bharat Drone Mahotsav, a two-day event held on May 27 and 28 in the capital saw over 1,600 delegates, including government officials, foreign diplomats, PSUs, private companies and drone startups etc. as participants. The companies exhibited unmanned vehicles ready for fields such as defence, agriculture, survey mapping while also showcasing futuristic cutting edge projects that will entail the drones taking bigger roles such as carrying patients in emergencies to delivering goods and essentials at a mass level. New-Delhi based drone maker Theta Enerlytics along with Vega Aviation Products showcased their endurance &amp; hard body drones at the festival. "These drones can be used for various purposes like agriculture, forest management services, town and city planning services, revenue and planning departments, police services, smart cities within the public sector and industries, power plants, mining companies, construction companies to name a few," said <keyword id="14180187" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Karan-Dhaul" source="Orion">Karan Dhaul</keyword>, Chairman and co-founder, Theta Enerlytics. "Our drones are made with complete composite materials which enable a higher-flying time than any other drones in their class. Our Theta Falcon can fly up to 150 minutes in a single flight and can carry up to 1kilogramme of sensors and payloads," Dhaul told PTI. He noted that 'Theta Falcon' is ideal for mapping applications, surveillance and border security. The drone takes off vertically like a helicopter and then transitions into horizontal flight like an airplane. Another drone showcased at the festival, 'Hexacopter Theta Lotus', can carry a payload of up to 10 kg in ideal conditions and can be also used for stringing guidewires for transmission lines, ropeway bridges and cable cars. "The Lotus can fly up to 70 minutes on a single charge," said Dhaul. Many drones displayed at the festival have a specific and strong use case and will do well due to the burgeoning demand in the country, said Suhas <keyword id="2921292" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="chandak" source="Orion">Chandak</keyword>, owner of Karnataka-based Vega Aviation Products. "In India drone companies are already providing services worth 100 crores, and are poised to increase tenfold," Chandak told PTI. Drone technology expert Dharmendra Singh concurred, saying a huge market and demand for drones is coming very fast in the country. "Now, a lot of private players are coming in this area which will certainly reduce the cost of the drones as well as the services of the drones for different applications," Singh, professor at Department of Electronics &amp; Communication Engineering, <keyword id="55119" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Institute-of-Technology" source="Orion">Indian Institute of Technology</keyword> (IIT) Roorkee told PTI. "So, it might be possible that in near future India may have very cost-effective services in various places like agriculture, delivery system, project monitoring, health sector etc," he added. As India aims to become a global hub for drone technology by 2030, Singh said highly stable and precise drones with good coverage capability may play an instrumental role in public services. The professor noted that India has enough infrastructure, good supply chain and excellent technical capacity for deploying drones, however, some concerns remain. "Privacy, secret monitoring or spying and collisions of the drones are some of the concerns that can hinder their large-scale implementation," he added. Chandak said the government is well aware of these issues and the zoning of the country into green, orange and red zones has addressed most fears and concerns, especially those around privacy. "However, as an industry we must ensure failsafe against equipment failure or human error as a single accident can change the fate of any operator," said Chandak. "As a deterrent to rogue drones, it would be helpful if the government makes easier the indigenous manufacture and deployment of anti drone systems and jammers to help protect infrastructure against antisocial elements," he added. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="http://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/storks-are-flocking-to-haryana-and-ornithologists-are-studying-their-nest-location-patterns/articleshow/92171007.cms">Storks are flocking to Haryana and ornithologists are studying their nest location patterns</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="http://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/misleading-ads-to-get-10-lakh-penalty-says-govt-body-insisting-14-cos-withdrew-covid-efficacy-ads-after-notice/articleshow/92170866.cms">Misleading ads to get ₹10 lakh penalty says govt body insisting 14 cos withdrew COVID efficacy ads after notice</a>

India's indigenous drones set to take flight but concerns remain, say experts

<ul><li>DRDO developed a counter-drone technology system in 2020, however it did not get any order from the Indian armed forces. </li><li>Experts believe that the drone as well as counter-drone technology are fairly young and still need improvements. </li><li>Indian government rolled out guidelines against rogue <keyword id="94769" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="drones">drones</keyword> in 2013, yet the country doesn’t have enough anti-drone devices.</li></ul>As the government of India has just started recognising the potential use cases of drones in the Indian healthcare system, it was hit with a harsh reality that the enemies of the state have taken leaps to incorporate this technology to harm the South Asian nation. Two bombs were<a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/jammu-iaf-base-drone-attack-jawans-saw-heard-bombs-drop-1821316-2021-06-30"> dropped</a> at the Indian Air Force station in Jammu, in the early hours of June 27 this year. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #cccccc 0.9375pt;border-right:solid #cccccc 0.9375pt;border-bottom:solid #cccccc 0.9375pt;border-top:solid #cccccc 0.9375pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">June 27, 2021 </td><td style="border-left:solid #cccccc 0.9375pt;border-right:solid #cccccc 0.9375pt;border-bottom:solid #cccccc 0.9375pt;border-top:solid #cccccc 0.9375pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Two bombs dropped on IAF base in Jammu between 1:43 a.m.-1:50 a.m. </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #cccccc 0.9375pt;border-right:solid #cccccc 0.9375pt;border-bottom:solid #cccccc 0.9375pt;border-top:solid #cccccc 0.9375pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">June 27, 2021 </td><td style="border-left:solid #cccccc 0.9375pt;border-right:solid #cccccc 0.9375pt;border-bottom:solid #cccccc 0.9375pt;border-top:solid #cccccc 0.9375pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Two more drones were spotted over IAF military stations at 11:45 p.m. and 2:40 a.m. </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #cccccc 0.9375pt;border-right:solid #cccccc 0.9375pt;border-bottom:solid #cccccc 0.9375pt;border-top:solid #cccccc 0.9375pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">June 28, 2021 </td><td style="border-left:solid #cccccc 0.9375pt;border-right:solid #cccccc 0.9375pt;border-bottom:solid #cccccc 0.9375pt;border-top:solid #cccccc 0.9375pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Two similar devices were noticed in Ratnuchak-Kaluchak military area in Jammu. This prompted soldiers to open fire. </td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="border-left:solid #cccccc 0.9375pt;border-right:solid #cccccc 0.9375pt;border-bottom:solid #cccccc 0.9375pt;border-top:solid #cccccc 0.9375pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Source: Media reports </td></tr></tbody></table> This compelled the Indian government and security forces to go on a shopping spree to buy expensive counter-drone systems. While there are not many counter-drone technology makers in India, few of these players include state-owned Defence Research &amp; Development Organisation (DRDO), Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), ideaForge and Big Bang Boom Solutions. According to media <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/bsf-it-ministry-companies-border-security-drone-attack-7386310/">reports</a>, there are over 500 companies that can help the country find a solution to its drone problem. All these companies may not make devices to harm or kill drones, but can certainly help in tracking them. There are also several military tech private companies in the country, including Adani Defence &amp; Aerospace and Kadet Defence Systems that make drones for surveillance and technology for other combat purposes; Atindriya Systems provides electronic systems and software solutions for defense, and Trijatta that develops radars and encryption devices for the military. The government of India has been aware of the potential threat that rogue drones could pose in the security of the nation and issued a <a href="https://www.civilaviation.gov.in/sites/default/files/Counter_rogue_drone_guidelnes_NSCS.pdf">National Counter Rogue Drone Guidelines </a>two years ago. The policy highlights that the drone factor should be taken seriously as unmanned aircrafts, consumer drones and do-it-yourself (DIY) drones are readily available over the internet. The policy, referring to the Israel-Lebanon war of 2006, highlights "In certain incidents, the small drones were also armed with explosive ordnance, to convert them into potentially lethal guided missiles, thus demonstrating the growing sophistication with which these potent warriors have found relevance in combat zones." Yet it has found itself short of any large scale counter-drone system. The Jammu attack in itself did not cost much, but it did highlight the urgency to invest in a counter-drone system that could prevent bigger attacks in the long run. In the coming months, the government of India wants to sign multi-million dollar [who’s saying this?] contracts with both domestic and foreign firms to procure these technologies. <div type="image" title="India has limited options for weapons that can take down enemy drones" msid="84836842" hostid="261"></div> The anti-drone technology has a massive headroom to cover Kruthi Aramanamada, head of marketing at ideaForge, explained to Business Insider that counter-drone technology is expensive and fairly new as it came into existence only a decade ago. The technology is not fully matured and there is still a lot of scope of research and development (R&amp;D) in this segment, she added. Meanwhile, Anshuman Tripathi, a drone technology expert who is also a member of the National Security Advisory Board, <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/combating-the-drone-menace-india-needs-to-pick-up-pace-with-anti-drone-measures-1823517-2021-07-03">said</a>, "Drones are still evolving and solutions to handle them are incomplete. It's a matter of a few years when the technology matures and you can standardise equipment as you go forward." Even developed countries like the US, Russia and Israel are <a href="https://theprint.in/opinion/brahmastra/india-needs-to-shop-for-anti-drone-systems-we-are-already-late/688517/">pumping billions</a> of dollars into research and development of both drones and counter-drone systems. However, they have not found a foolproof system for both hard and soft kill as yet. Indian armed forces on a look out for counter-drone systems In June 2020, IAF floated a Request for Information (RFI) for Indian vendors for Counter Unarmed Aircraft System (CUAS), which can be used to bring down the rogue drone. Apart from that, other ministries and departments are also looking to sign such contracts. However, there have not been many insights on who may end up getting such contracts. One of the possible beneficiaries of this spree is likely to be Israel-based company Smart Shooter, a company that has been developing systems to help militaries track and engage moving targets. Indian Navy had placed an order to <a href="https://theprint.in/defence/navy-orders-israeli-smash-2000-plus-systems-to-tackle-drones-more-contracts-in-offing/562955/">procure </a>an unspecified number of Smart Shooter’s SMASH 2000 Rifle Sights in December 2020. However, the Indian Army wasn’t quite impressed with it after their trials in January 2021. They found that the system may work well for the Navy as they work in open terrain, but it is not feasible for other terrains. This highlighted another major challenge among the counter-drone technology — use cases. The counter-drone system is not a ‘one size fits all’ type of solution and has to be customised based on the criticality of the situation, Aramanamada added. The debate between indigenous or foreign technology remains Prof. P B Sujit, adjunct faculty at School of Engineering and Technology at BML Munjal University, said that the current counter-drone tech is limited and mostly sourced or licensed from other countries. He also noted that there are few Indian startups in the segment as well, but the quality of those solutions is undetermined at the moment. “The trust in Indian developed tech is low. With the history of India importing from Israel, it's natural to import this. Moreover Israel has good tech which has been field tested with Palestine stuff... So the confidence levels are right with the Israel tech,” he added. Apart from the Israeli plan, the government is also on a look out for the technology developed by domestic players and foreign public as well as private sector units, drone original equipment manufacturers, defence tech firms and Defence Research &amp; Development Organisation (DRDO). Indian stand on the counter-drone infrastructure includes only a few players at the moment: <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">DRDO anti-drone system was<a href="https://www.drdo.gov.in/sites/default/files/drdo-news-documents/NPC_15-16_Aug_2020.pdf"> first </a>deployed in India in 2020, during various national events including Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day speech. However, it is not being used. The device had the capability to detect, intercept and destroy small drones. </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">DRDO also carried out an urgent demonstration of its anti-drone system to armed forces at Kolar, a city in Karnataka, earlier in July 2021. The system has a detection capability of up to four kilometres with ‘soft kill’ option by radio frequency jamming. </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">National Security Guards had <a href="https://www.firstpost.com/india/why-india-needs-israel-as-drone-attacks-become-real-and-threatens-to-be-cataclysmic-9763551.html">awarded </a>a contract worth ₹1.49 crore to Bengaluru-based Accord Software &amp; System for procurement of indigenous Counter Drone Technology System. </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-right:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-bottom:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;border-top:solid #cccccc 0.8333325pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:2pt 2pt 2pt 2pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">ideaForge has partnered with German tech firm Aaronia AG to develop anti-drone tech devices. However, the solutions have not been deployed on the ground yet. </td></tr></tbody></table> Even though the army and security forces are yet to deploy DRDO’s anti-drone system, Bharat Electronics Limited and three<a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/bsf-to-test-drdo-anti-drone-system-on-border-ied-laden-uav-shot-down-in-jammu-101627010670994.html"> undisclosed </a>private companies have signed a technology transfer agreement with the government. The agreement would enable these players to mass-produce the system. SEE ALSO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/political-media/news/there-are-at-least-four-hot-issues-in-india-that-the-government-has-no-data-for/articleshow/84820788.cms">There are at least four hot issues in India that the government has no data for</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/maharashtra-karnataka-and-telangana-plan-to-use-ethereum-in-their-fight-against-fake-degrees/articleshow/84823688.cms">This Indian startup is using Ethereum to help Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana fight against fake degrees</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/ola-expands-esop-pool-to-3000-crore-issues-stock-worth-400-crore-to-employees/articleshow/84820171.cms">Ola expands ESOP pool to ₹3,000 crore, issues stock worth ₹400 crore to employees</a>

India has limited options for weapons that can take down enemy drones

<ul><li>The government has proposed to set up a dedicated <keyword id="7243568" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="drone-corridor">drone corridor</keyword>, create drone ports and allow 100% foreign direct investment (FDI). </li><li>However, the Indian drone industry needs much more than regulations to fly. </li><li>Funding is a major challenge that startups face.</li></ul>From photography to now possibly e-commerce delivery, <keyword id="94769" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="drones">drones</keyword> have gone from “hyped and expensive” to now being legal in <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword>. However, other than for recreation, they are hardly in use. Since their launch, drones have been used mostly for photography - wedding or travel. Even that had faced issues from authorities. Drones have just failed to take over the Indian skies, as expected, even after the Indian government declared them <a href="https://www.businesstoday.in/sectors/aviation/flying-drones-to-be-legal-in-india-from-december-1/story/281690.html">legal.</a> In 2016, the government announced a <a href="https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/economy/policy/drone-policy-2-0-india-pitches-for-optimum-utilisation-of-drones-3399661.html">new draft policy</a>, under which it has proposed to set up a dedicated drone corridor, create drone ports and allow 100% foreign direct investment (FDI) in manufacturing the remotely piloted aircraft in the country. The Indian government is also asking drone companies to <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/tech/drone-companies-asked-to-install-safety-chip-to-avoid-mishaps/articleshow/67581061.cms">install chips</a> in their drones, so that they can be disabled in case they go rogue. One of the most important use cases of drones was meant to be the Indian agriculture industry – from surveillance to crop health monitoring and treatment, which is still looked at only by a few startups. India’s <keyword id="2823175" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="drone-policy">drone policy</keyword> also looks into the optimum utilization of drones allowing them to be used for delivery of goods. This could be a big boost for the Indian e-commerce industry. Recently, food tech unicorn Zomato had acquired TechEagle innovation, a drone startup, which fuelled rumours that the company will soon be experimenting with aerial food delivery. “Drones will be an integral part of our lives be it for last mile delivery, security, 3D mapping, agriculture and several other use cases. Food delivery via drones will help reduce the last mile delivery leg and make the process more convenient and cost-effective. <keyword id="6370270" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="unmanned-aerial-vehicles">Unmanned aerial vehicles</keyword> will significantly mitigate the delivery time while also increasing the reach,” said Vikram Singh Meena, Founder, TechEagle. Even with all the ‘supposed’ encouragement from the government in the form of favourable regulation, there are many hurdles that grapple the Indian <keyword id="4005978" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="drone-startups">drone startups</keyword>. “Some of the key challenges which still exists is the timely certification of the drones, readiness by the manufacturers and democratization of the applications, ” said Vipul Singh, CEO and Co-founder, Aarav Unmanned Systems. “Research and Development ecosystem for drones in India is lagging way behind the global ecosystem.” Globally, Amazon declared in 2013 that it will be experimenting drone delivery which sent the entire world into a frenzy. However, cut to 2019 and the global e-retail giant is still <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6583693/Amazon-secretly-testing-delivery-drones-UK-countryside.html">‘testing’ </a>drone delivery. At this stage, Singh believes that Indian drone startup sector is still very small and needs extreme support from the government – which could come in in the form of a drone VC fund, more pilot projects, skill development programs, financial support for working capital, and expedited development of certification and testing centers, among others. He added that with the introduction of regulation, on one hand most of the demands by both the government and private enterprises are going to scale up. On the other hand, most of the benefit will reach companies that follow regulatory compliance and use certified equipment. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/arm-the-allies-india-might-become-first-country-out-of-nato-to-buy-armed-drones-from-the-us/articleshow/65053966.cms">Arm the allies: India might become first country out of NATO to buy armed drones from the US</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/europes-busiest-airport-is-shut-down-after-a-drone-sighting/articleshow/67444726.cms">Europe's busiest airport is shut down after a drone sighting</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/alphabets-drone-delivery-company-is-testing-a-quieter-delivery-drone-after-its-original-model-annoyed-townspeople-and-their-dogs/articleshow/67390414.cms">Alphabet's drone delivery company is testing a quieter delivery drone after its original model annoyed townspeople and their dogs</a>

India has over 40,000 drones, but where are they really?

<ul><li>The Directorate General of <keyword id="6368649" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="civil-aviation">Civil Aviation</keyword> issued ‘<keyword id="2720096" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="drone-regulations">Drone Regulations</keyword> 1.0’ which highlight where, when and how <keyword id="94769" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="drones">drones</keyword> can operate within <keyword id="3658" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword>.</li><li>Civilian drones can fly anywhere in the ‘green zone’ while staying within 450m, in the line of sight. </li><li><keyword id="1995476" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="commercial-drones">Commercial drones</keyword> are now allowed in agriculture, health and relief disaster.</li></ul>Flying drones in India is finally going to be legal starting December 1, 2018. Until now, flying drones in the country, until and unless specifically sanctioned by the government, was illegal. Not illegal in the sense that there was stringent surveillance, but if you got caught, you were definitely in trouble. That being said, it’s never been illegal to buy drones in India. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s new Drone Regulations 1.0 layout the framework for how unmanned aircrafts will be allowed to operate within the country. 
	
	
	<div type="twitter" handle="MoCA_GoI" handlename="Ministry of Civil Aviation" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/971668841007693824/jJO9tBIm_normal.jpg" favoritecount="278" retweetcount="182" status="Press Release on Drones: https://t.co/6ZlPeLJpxB" createdat="1535372301000" id="1034052494752546816"></div>







 Drone away Even with the new regulation coming in to place, there are few terms and conditions that apply. While the commercial use of drones in sectors like agriculture, health and disaster relief will be allowed, making ‘deliveries’ of any kind didn’t make the cut. That means Zomato and Swiggy can’t use drones to deliver your food, and Amazon and Flipkart will have to wait their turn as well. On the other hand, civilian drones can fly about all they like. That is, during the day and within the visual line of sight, which is around 450m high, making it the ‘green zone’. It’s not that you can’t fly higher, you just need to get police permission to do so since it falls in to the ‘yellow zone’. And, then comes common sense. Civilian or commercial, drones can’t fly around airports, near the international border, near the coast line or around secretariat complexes.Strategic locations, vital and military installations can’t have drone activity either. These are the ‘red zones’. But, for some reason, they can’t be used for wedding photography. Probably due to the frequency and sheer volume of how often weddings happen. Any drone, that isn’t a micro-drone or owned by the <keyword id="145763" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="National-Technical-Research-Organisation">National Technical Research Organisation</keyword>, will have to be registered and issued a Unique Identification Number (UIN). If you break a regulation the least that can happen to you is that your UIN will be cancelled or suspended. On the other hand, if the offence is bad enough, you could be booked under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. How are they going to enforce all this? Rules and regulations are all well and good, but it’s their actual implementation that will make all the difference. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has come up with something called the Digital Sky Platform. It’s a nifty little tool that the government can use to keep an eye on what your drone is upto. All pilots have to do is register, ask for permission and it will be approved depending on terms put forward in the new set of regulations. The Digital Sky Platform will be in touch with defence and civil air traffic controllers to coordinate drone activity. In case you’re thinking of going rogue, the system has a ‘no permission, no takeoff’ mantra that prevents drones from violating any of the rules. In fact, the SIM card required for drones is put in place for this precisely reason. If your drone violated any rules, like going higher than prescribed or leaving your flight path, that SIM can be used to shut down drone systems entirely. Economic boost Allowing drones to be legally flown around India opens up a whole new sector for entrepreneurs to invest in. There are already number of startups working on drone <keyword id="6355118" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="technology">technology</keyword> or industrial solutions that use drones. The government, from their side, noted that these regulations have been put in place to encourage the Make in India scheme. The Drone Regulations 1.0 might not seem perfect or even ideal, but Drone Regulations 2.0 are already being fine tuned. <div type="Youtube" id="OmoIY0EjtTg" title="Flying drones is finally legal in India" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/OmoIY0EjtTg/mqdefault.jpg"></div>

Flying drones are finally legal in India

Drone lovers, it’s bad news! From now, anyone entering India with <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Investors-are-pouring-money-into-drone-startups/articleshow/50938342.cms">drones </a>will have to declare its possession upon arrival. 
 This because the Indian government has recently decided to include <keyword id="94769" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="drones">drones</keyword> in the list of prohibited and taxed goods starting April 1. The recent move seems to be a step in government's efforts to restrict the use of drones in the country. 
 As of now, drones are imported easily in the absence of official guidelines and are used for filming royal weddings and <keyword id="143" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bollywood">Bollywood</keyword> films. Moreover, Chinese toy <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/This-Indian-startup-is-using-drones-to-capture-the-beauty-of-the-country-and-its-absolutely-stunning/articleshow/49578874.cms">drone companies</a> are selling their products freely in several cities and online stores to give civilians a chance to experience how these unmanned aerial vehicles work. These have been a hit among Indians because they come really cheap. 
 
India is still miles away from having clear laws and regulations for drones, but several countries across the world have innovative ways in place to regulate the use of drones. In the Netherlands, police trains eagles to grab rogue drones. In Tokyo, the police uses drones with nets to catch dangerous drones. In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration requires the country's users to register their small unmanned aircraft with the government. But in India, it is still illegal for civilians to use drones due to security threats. Anyone seen flying a drone in a public place usually lands in the police net. Even as cops know it’s not a serious criminal act, they feel there is a need to investigate because, they say, terrorists can use paragliders and remote-controlled microlight aircraft for attacks. 
 
Earlier this year, an unidentified drone spotted near the international airport in Delhi had raised serious security concerns. As a result, Delhi cops were asked to monitor drone usage before India's Republic Day in January. In one such incident in Mumbai, a drone was found photographing an atomic research centre in July. Since then, police has been issuing a monthly order against using drones. 
 
Most recently, an American tourist was arrested for photographing the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/24-incredible-new-UNESCO-World-Heritage-Sites/articleshow/47978811.cms">UNESCO World Heritage Site</a> of Khajuraho with a drone camera without taking the government's permission. When he was questioned, he said he was not aware that drone photography was not allowed there. He also said there were no signboards anywhere which said it was prohibited in the area. 
 
In India, only the government can use drones to monitor the country's borders and surveillance in conflict-ridden areas. The only time when the cops planned to do something different with drones was in Lucknow. They planned on using the device as pepper spray to control crowds. 
 
(Image credits: Reuters)

Bringing a drone into India just got a lot harder

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock.comGeneration Z may be migrating away from Facebook's core app, but that's no problem.</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>In the twelve months since the Cambridge Analytica scandal broke in March 2018, Facebook has experienced some major upheavals.</li><li>According to a survey commissioned by Business Insider the social network has lost favour with users aged 18-25, who prefer Instagram.</li><li>Some cited privacy concerns as a reason, but for the many the platform has simply become boring.</li><li>Luckily for Facebook, it owns Instagram. </li></ul>Exactly a year ago, the news broke that Facebook had enabled the mass, possibly illegal, collection of people's information by a rogue researcher who handed that data on to a political consultancy called Cambridge Analytica.The resulting privacy furore engulfed Facebook, and dragged it into unwelcome debates about election interference, online misinformation, and the monopoly power of online tech giants.Many thought a privacy scandal of this size would finally bankrupt the public's trust in the platform, leading to an exodus.But a year later, Facebook seems to have weathered the storm pretty well in terms of engagement, in part thanks to its earlier bet to acquire photo-sharing network Instagram.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-execs-who-have-left-since-cambridge-analytica-scandal-2019-3">Facebook is being abandoned by top executives. Here's everyone who has left since the Cambridge Analytica catastrophe last year.</a>A survey of 18 to 25-year olds commissioned by Business Insider and carried out by British market research startup Streetbees showed that while the majority of them still use Facebook, generally it's not their platform of choice. When asked which their favourite social media platform was, 36% answered with Instagram. Facebook was second with 26%.A few of those surveyed said that privacy was a reason they were less inclined to use Facebook, but for most the reasons for abandoning Facebook were much more prosaic. One 19-year old said she was using Facebook less, "because more of my friends use Instagram or WhatsApp now."<h2>It looks like a smart move for Facebook to keep the Instagram brand identity separate</h2>Happily for Facebook, it owns both Instagram and WhatsApp.Eleven users said Facebook had become "boring," with one adding that teenagers can't use it freely because it's full of family members. "More old people are on it now," another said simply."It's just not very appealing anymore, older people are using it more and my feed is often clogged up with annoying political posts. I have moved to instagram [sic] so I could focus more on living and food and travel," said one 25-year old.A few also took issues with the Facebook app's look and feel. "Facebook is now very much outdated. There is no new features in it," wrote one 20-year old. Recurring gripes included the ads on Facebook and well as the number of fake users.Streetbees' survey involved 1,235 people across the UK, US, and India, of which 820 fell into the 18-to-25 age group.Facebook acquired Instagram and 2012, and WhatsApp in 2014. The research highlights that it was, perhaps, a smart move to maintain Instagram's separate brand identity. There is comparatively little integration between Instagram and Facebook's app, even six years after the acquisition.It also might explain why Facebook is less keen than ever to break out user numbers on its individual apps, instead referring to a collective userbase across its "family" of services in financial results.All the cofounders of Instagram and WhatsApp have now left Facebook - three of them since the Cambridge Analytica Scandal broke. Notably the founders of WhatsApp <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jan-koum-whatsapp-privacy-quit-facebook-cowardly-2018-5?r=UK">left after reportedly clashing with Facebook executives over user privacy</a>.While Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp outwardly maintain distinct brand identies, it's likely that the trio will become more closely integrated at the back-end now all the acquired founders have left.Mark Zuckerberg has stated his ambition to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-whatsapp-messenger-and-instagram-merge-not-until-2020-2019-1">knit together the backends of the instant messaging on Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp</a>.So even the ground Facebook loses, it gains. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/koncepto-millenya-drone-personal-electric-vehicle-2019-3">A drone builder claims he invented the smallest flying car in the world - the Koncepto Millenya</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

Instagram has avoided Facebook's trust problem, beating its parent as app of choice for Generation Z

America is no longer as alarming to its foes or reassuring to its friends.
America's allies are nervous. With Russia grabbing territory, China bullying its neighbours and Syria murdering its people, many are asking: where is Globocop? Under what circumstances will America act to deter troublemakers? What, ultimately, would America fight for?
The answer to this question matters. Rogue states will behave more roguishly if they doubt America's will to stop them. As a former head of Saudi intelligence recently said of Vladimir Putin's land grab in Ukraine: "While the wolf is eating the sheep, there is no shepherd to come to the rescue."
Small wonder that Barack Obama was asked, at every stop during his just-completed four-country swing through Asia, how exactly he plans to wield American power. How would the president respond if China sought to expand its maritime borders by force? How might he curb North Korea's nuclear provocations? At every press conference he was also quizzed about Ukraine, for world news follows an American president everywhere.
When it came to formal pledges of reassurance, Mr Obama did not stint. In Tokyo he offered fresh guarantees that the defence treaty between Japan and America covers all Japanese-administered territory, including the Senkaku islands, which China also claims. While visiting some of the 28,000 American troops stationed in South Korea, he vowed that his government would not hesitate to use "military might to defend our allies". In the Philippines Mr Obama signed a new, ten-year agreement to give American forces greater access to local bases.
While Mr Obama was in Asia on April 28th American officials unveiled new sanctions against Russia: visa bans and asset freezes for Putin cronies such as Igor Sechin, the boss of Rosneft, a big state oil firm. On the same day a final detachment of American paratroopers arrived in Estonia, bringing to about 600 the number of American soldiers now on exercises in Poland and the three Baltic countries (all of which fear Russia). Whereas Russia tried to mask its deeds in Ukraine by deploying troops with no insignia, the whole point of America's action was to show off the Stars and Stripes on the uniforms.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container click-to-enlarge"><div class="image"><a title_source="The Economist" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5363cf566bb3f718314453fa-960/screen%20shot%202014-05-02%20at%201.03.37%20pm.png"></a>The Economist</div></div>
<h3>Philosopher-in-chief</h3>
Yet even as he did his duties as planetary peacekeeper, Mr Obama could not help pondering the limits of American power, out loud. There are "no guarantees" that sanctions will change Mr Putin's thinking over Ukraine, he mused on April 25th. He said it would be in Mr Putin's interests to behave better, but he might not.
In recent years, Mr Obama went on, people have taken to thinking that hard foreign-policy problems may actually have a definitive answer, typically involving the use of force. Mr Obama disagrees. "Very rarely have I seen the exercise of military power providing a definitive answer," he told an audience in Seoul.
In the Philippines he was asked whether his handling of crises from Ukraine to Syria might have emboldened America's enemies. He retorted that his tactics "may not always be sexy", but have strengthened America's global position. Many of his hawkish critics, he said, were the same people who supported the "disastrous" war in Iraq and who "haven't really learned the lesson of the last decade."
Such sentiments may appeal to war-weary voters back home. Most Americans say that defending the security of allies is "very important", but just 6% would use force over Ukraine, says a Pew poll, and huge majorities oppose action in Syria. For countries that rely on American protection, this is troubling. The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, for example, feel exposed (see Charlemagne). Like Ukraine, they were once part of the Soviet Union, have Russophone minorities and doubt that Mr Putin respects their borders.
For Toomas Hendrik Ilves, the president of Estonia, the legal order preserving Europe's borders changed utterly when Russia invaded Crimea. The European Union's meek response has made it a laughing stock. "There is nothing left to hold on to," declares Mr Ilves.
Except NATO. Unlike Ukraine, the Balts are members of the NATO military alliance, under whose founding treaty an armed attack on any member is considered an attack on all. This means America is committed to protecting its European allies. And for now, they believe it will. "I do believe that the borders of NATO are a red line. I have faith in that," declares President Ilves. If any NATO ally tried to block a response to an armed attack, NATO would, in effect, cease to exist, he says.
In recent years, Mr Obama has scaled back plans for missile defence in Europe and reduced America's military presence there to two brigade combat teams. But Russia's aggression has had the unintended consequence of giving NATO a renewed sense of purpose: hence those American paratroopers in Poland.
François Heisbourg, of the Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique in Paris, reckons America would still fight to defend the Baltic states: "The moment a Russian tank crosses the bridge at Narva [on Estonia's border with Russia] it will be zapped." But America's commitment to defend Europe is undermined by the Europeans' tendency to freeload, which American taxpayers resent. Few allies except Britain meet the NATO target to maintain military spending at 2% of GDP.
In the short term there are two military concerns. One is that the Baltic states are difficult to defend. Their airspace is entirely covered by Russian missiles. A greater worry is that Russia's aggression might be stealthy, as in Ukraine. "Mr Putin does not do frontal attack; he does judo," says Mr Heisbourg. What would America and NATO do if Russia starts to undermine the Balts by stirring unrest among ethnic Russians there and deploying mysterious armed men? NATO was not designed for such contingencies.
<h3>Middle Eastern gloom</h3>
Nowhere is the perception of growing American timidity so strong as in the Middle East. Eleven years ago America conquered Iraq in a matter of weeks. Yet when Mr Obama pulled America's last troops out in 2011, there was little to show for all the lives lost and billions spent. The regime America has left behind in Baghdad is barely friendly.
In the rest of the region the story is not much cheerier. The new government in Egypt ignores American finger-wagging about human rights and buys lots of Russian weapons. In Syria President Bashar Assad was caught red-handed last year gassing his own people, an act that Mr Obama had specifically warned would trigger American punishment. Yet this "red line" was crossed almost with impunity.
There were sound arguments for all these apparent American retreats. Yet the widespread impression in the Middle East is that the lion has turned into a pussycat. Its foes rejoice; its allies bewail their perceived abandonment.
Iraq's leader, Nuri al-Maliki, is chummier with Iran than America. Iran jauntily backs militias and political parties in Iraq. It sends bullets and "advisers" to Syria via Iraqi airspace. It sponsors Iraqi Shia volunteers to fight American-supplied Sunni rebels in Syria.
Of late, America has sometimes taken a back seat to other countries, as with France's intervention in Mali and NATO's in Libya. Or it has simply shied from doing anything much, as in Syria.
Yet reports of the death of American influence in the Middle East are exaggerated. Mr Obama can claim some successes: oil prices are stable, Israel has never been so prosperous or secure and Iran has agreed (under intense pressure) to curb its nuclear ambitions somewhat. Terrorism now poses far more danger within the Middle East than to the rest of the world.
America's regional military bootprint has shrunk, but only from the inflated dimensions of the Bush-era "surge" in Iraq. A constellation of American military bases dots the region, from the 5th Fleet's headquarters in Bahrain to Central Command's massive base in Qatar, to secret airstrips sending drones into the skies of Yemen. No outside power can plausibly replace America there. The Gulf monarchies still rely on American protection, as do Jordan and (to a lesser extent than before) Israel.
The perception of American timidity has yet to do serious damage to American interests in the Middle East. It has, however, spurred allies to look out for themselves. Israel has cultivated military and economic ties with China and India. Gulf states are arming themselves: Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE have all recently ordered huge arsenals.
<h3>Facing China</h3>
Moving to Asia, America has been fighting in Afghanistan for more than a decade now. This year Mr Obama plans to bring home almost all of the more than 30,000 American troops there. It may yet be all of them. Afghanistan's president, Hamid Karzai, has refused to sign an agreement that would allow 5,000-10,000 or so to stay on in non-combat roles. But both candidates in the run-off election to succeed him are supporters of the agreement.
So American boots will still be on the ground, providing targets for insurgents. Even if a broader civil war is avoided, America may find itself an unwilling party to bloodshed. If the American-backed government in Kabul finds itself unable to control swathes of the country, al-Qaeda or other groups with global terrorist ambitions might regroup there, as they might in the ungoverned tribal areas of Pakistan. Should they succeed in staging an attack on mainland America, the cycle might start again: experience shows that to avenge the victims of murder at home, America will fight.
It seems far-fetched to think that America would go to war over the islands known to Japan as the Senkakus and to China as the Diaoyus. Nestling in the East China Sea between the two countries, they are tiny, barren and uninhabited save for hundreds of goats and the elusive "Senkaku mole" (a critter, not a double agent). When America administered the islands from 1945-72, it used them for bombing practice.
Yet Mr Obama has put American military credibility on the line over the Senkakus (even if he did not explicitly promise that the 50,000 American troops stationed in Japan would help fight for them). For more than two years now China has been buzzing the islands by air and sea to challenge Japan's claim of control, and last November included them in an "Air Defence Identification Zone". There is a real risk that an accidental clash might escalate. So these desolate rocks may pose the most immediate test of Mr Obama's "pivot" towards Asia.
The South China Sea sets others. Five countries have claims there that overlap with China's. The Philippines' dispute is the most active. In 1995 China evicted it from one reef, and two years ago from another. America takes no position on sovereignty, but backs Manila's efforts to contest Beijing's claims under international law.
In South Korea 28,000 American troops sit near the border to deter the North Korean regime. Few expect that regime to last for ever (see Banyan). Should it collapse, China, fearing the abrupt arrival of a unified Korea on its borders that is America's ally and stuffed with American armour, might intervene. Loth to upset its erratic ally, China refuses to co-ordinate contingency plans for a North Korean implosion with America.
Both big powers hope that Taiwan's deepening economic ties with mainland China will dampen the island's enthusiasm for formal independence. But as Yan Xuetong, a Chinese scholar, has noted, at least 70% of people on Taiwan still see themselves as "Taiwanese" first, "Chinese" second. One day Beijing's impatience at Taiwan's failure to submit may force America into very difficult choices. A 1979 law binds America's government to deem any attempt at forcible reunification "as a threat to the peace and security of the Western Pacific Area and of grave concern to the United States".
Would America really go to war with China? China plainly seeks to become the dominant power in Asia. Many Asians doubt that America is reconciled to being number two. That said, many Asians also doubt that America would risk a shooting war with a nuclear power. They point to American silence when China seized the Scarborough shoal from the Philippines in 2012; and to its advice to American airlines late last year to comply with China's air-defence zone over the Senkakus. 
In Asia, as elsewhere, America's allies are boosting their armed forces. Some suspect that America's security umbrella has holes in it. Sotto voce, a Japanese diplomat says Japan has never relied on it--though what he perhaps means is that it no longer does.
Under its pacifist constitution, imposed by America after the second world war, Japan is barred from "collective self-defence", even if it means shooting down a North Korean missile on its way to Hawaii. Its current prime minister, Shinzo Abe, wants to change this. The aim, as one scholar puts it, is to become a "normal" ally, like a NATO member, partly to encourage America to keep defending it, and partly because it is not sure it will.
<h3>The trigger-point</h3>
Mr Obama's hands-off approach dismays the foreign-policy establishment back home. Democrats and Republicans alike chide him for leaving a security vacuum for enemies to fill. Yet others note that he does not want to be the American president who failed to honour a treaty. He chose to deploy ground forces to the Baltics and Poland, when he could have sent only a few ships or planes.
A defender of the president, Ivo Daalder, American ambassador to NATO from 2009-13, suggests that if NATO allies suffered provocations short of an invasion (eg, Russian passports being distributed to Russian-speakers, challenges to Baltic frontiers) more troops, ships and warplanes would be deployed, making America's commitment to collective security ever-more visible. It was also under Mr Obama that NATO finally drew up contingency plans to cover threats to all members.
Kurt Volker, George W. Bush's final NATO ambassador and Mr Obama's first, suggests that--despite Mr Obama's distrust of military force--he would still act if there were a loud enough "domestic outcry." An outright invasion of a NATO ally would trigger such an outcry, Mr Volker says, as would a serious attack on Israel. But short of that, Mr Volker worries that other countries see within Team Obama "a creeping willingness to let things go".
A senior former defence official says that Mr Obama acted slowly in sending reinforcements to NATO members, and would do so again. "I think Mr Putin is going to keep coming until someone stands up to him," says this source. In the case of Russian adventurism inside NATO's borders, he predicts that Team Obama would respond: "I would worry that it would be late. Not too late, but late, and that would send a message around the world."
America's obligations in Asia are "nuanced", says another senior figure. Where American troops are stationed in large numbers--in South Korea, or on the main islands of Japan--the security commitment is "absolute". Under Mr Obama, American forces have pushed back (somewhat) against Chinese sabre-rattling in disputed seas. Should China threaten Taiwan, America would feel a "moral obligation" to send ships or planes to serve as a referee. 
Yet during previous crises, as in 1996, when China tested missiles before a Taiwanese election and America sent warships to the area, even hawkishly pro-Taiwan members of Congress privately told officials "you'd sure as hell better not get us into a war with the Chinese", this source recalls.
A skirmish over the Senkakus would trigger help of some sort, says another veteran of many crises: perhaps early-warning planes to patrol the skies for Japan, and warships to show the American flag. But the American public "would not be excited to go to war over a bunch of rocks".
So much for America's formal commitments. When it comes to other countries and regions, insiders worry that Mr Obama sees the world as a jungle full of thugs, forever causing crises that America cannot fix. His failure to enforce his own "red line" over chemical weapons in Syria gravely damaged his credibility.
Team Obama is divided, with an unhappy State Department under John Kerry desperate to see more help for anti-Assad forces in Syria, while the Pentagon has spent months explaining why extra weapons shipments cannot work. Meanwhile, Mr Obama is described as analysing every option to exhaustion before concluding that inaction is the prudent course.
In a few areas, a toughening of current policies is possible. Mr Obama's guiding principle is to avoid new wars. Because a nuclear-armed Iran might start a war which drags in America, he treats Iranian talks with great seriousness.
There are few overt hawks in Congress: the Republican Party of the Bush era, with its dreams of creating democracies across the world, is a distant memory. But some senators are pushing Mr Obama to take tougher, faster action against Russia. On a visit to Ukraine on April 25th Carl Levin, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called for harsher sanctions on Russian banks and energy interests.
Bob Corker, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, grumbles that the Russian stockmarket actually rose after the latest American sanctions were announced, suggesting those sanctions are weaker than the world expected. Mr Corker says several senators want the government to examine the pros and cons of permanently stationing American NATO forces in such countries as the Baltic republics. Russia maintains that any such move would breach understandings reached with NATO in the 1990s. But Mr Obama will be under pressure to declare that the world has changed, and ignore Russian complaints.
Some will celebrate the decline of America's ability to deter. But wherever they live, they may find that whatever replaces the old order is much worse. American power is not half as scary as its absence would be.
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