With a rich cross-industry journey spanning telecom, agri-tech, and manufacturing, Gurinder Singh Goindi is no stranger to recognizing gaps and building bridges. Now, as the President of Drone Planet, he’s turning India’s fragmented drone landscape into a unified, AI-driven ecosystem that empowers manufacturers, pilots, service providers, and end-users alike. In this exclusive interview with Machine Edge Global, Goindi shares how Drone Planet is redefining drone deployment—from rural skilling and AI-powered swarms to a full-stack platform approach—positioning India at the forefront of the global drone revolution.
You’ve had a remarkable journey across telecom, Agri-tech, and manufacturing. What inspired you to take the leap into the drone industry with Drone Planet?
Every sector’s experience had one thing in common: fragmented systems crying out for integration. We saw the same pattern in India’s drone space. The nation has skilled pilots, capable manufacturers, and rising demand, but no unified platform to bring them together. The idea behind Drone Planet was simple: build a central ecosystem that connects the dots and turns isolated efforts into a national-level movement which can be replicated for other countries too. My past experiences gave me the tools to do that at scale and with purpose.
Drone Planet is emerging as India’s ultimate drone solutions platform. What sets you apart from others in this fast-growing industry?
What sets us apart is our full-stack Phygital approach. Drone Planet isn’t just a marketplace or a training academy, it’s an integrated ecosystem. We’ve onboarded 31+ DGCA-certified RPTOs, aggregated 200+ verified drone manufacturers, and built an AI engine that powers everything from training personalization to service deployment. Whether it’s a startup looking for components, a government body needing drone services, or a rural youth wanting to get certified, we meet them where they are. That end-to-end capability, backed by intelligent tech, is what makes us stand out.
All this is supported by a team of Managers driving each category in the Drone eco-system across the Value Chain.
With over certified manufacturers being onboarded and a growing product line, what is your strategy for scaling responsibly and sustainably?
Scaling without structure leads to chaos, so we’ve built in governance from day one. Every manufacturer on our platform goes through a vetting process aligned with DGCA norms. We work closely with OEMs to ensure quality certifications, support Make-in-India initiatives, and encourage eco-friendly design practices. Our backend systems monitor performance data, flag inconsistencies, and provide feedback loops to improve standards over time. The focus is not just on growing numbers—it’s on growing trust, reliability, value addition, and long-term value.
Drone Planet covers everything from Drone-as-a-Service to training and enterprise solutions. How do you maintain synergy across such a broad portfolio?
The objective is to host players that represent various elements of the Drone eco-system at different stages of the value chain. This allows for value addition for all the stake holders be it the supplier or the service seeker. Eg. Drone manufacturer, a supplier on the platform, can be a service seeker for “Drone Components” manufacturer, another supplier, and this goes on across the value chain. This allows for Synergy to evolve with each addition.
Drone Planet is building India’s largest drone-skilling network in collaboration with various stakeholders. What’s your vision for drone education and employment in India?
Our vision is to make drone skills as accessible and relevant as coding once became in India. We’re collaborating with various institutions to roll out certified training across tier-2, tier-3 cities and rural belts. This is not just about building pilots—it’s about building drone entrepreneurs, service providers, and innovators. We see drones creating lakhs of jobs across agriculture, logistics, energy, and emergency services. If done right, this isn’t just a skilling initiative—it’s a movement to decentralize opportunity.
Tell us more about the AI-powered swarm drones for disaster response—how close are we to seeing this in action?
We’re much closer than people think. The capability for swarm drones already exists, it’s been demonstrated in several high-profile deployments, including the Republic Day celebrations and the drone light show at Sabarmati Riverfront during DEFEXPO. In fact, the Indian Army showcased operational swarm drone systems during the 2024 Army Day Parade.
What this shows is that the core technology is in place. Swarm drones are already in service; adapting them for disaster response is just a matter of reconfiguring the payload and objectives. With AI integration, these drones can coordinate in real-time, cover large areas rapidly, and even make autonomous decisions based on evolving ground situations.
From reducing response time in rescue missions to surveying inaccessible zones after a calamity, the potential is massive, and the transition from demo to deployment is already underway.
How do you see the future of drones evolving in India—not just as machines, but as a part of everyday life?
Drones are no longer a futuristic concept as they’re already becoming integrated into various sectors be it defense, agriculture, and surveillance, logistics, infrastructure, disaster management, and even entertainment. With AI, machine learning, and robotics converging, drones are evolving from remote-controlled machines to intelligent, responsive systems. They’re surveying crops, inspecting bridges, monitoring air quality, and soon, they could be delivering your groceries or assisting elderly care at home.
What we’re looking at is not just a tool, but a new kind of assistant. In the near future, interacting with drones could be as normal as using a smartphone today. The tech is ready, the momentum is building, and India is poised to be a global leader in drone adoption.