Reinforcing the Government of India’s commitment to Make in India, Atmanirbhar Bharat, and Vision 2047, the National Test House (NTH) has taken a significant step towards strengthening the country’s drone testing and certification framework. In a new government-to-government collaboration, NTH has partnered with the Standardization Testing & Quality Certification (STQC) Directorate – Electronics Regional Test Laboratory (North) [ERTL (North)], under the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), to enable Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) and Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) testing of drones.
The initiative is expected to boost safety, affordability, and global acceptance of Indian-certified drones, while enhancing the credibility and depth of the national drone certification ecosystem.
Addressing Key Regulatory Requirements
The collaboration directly addresses critical regulatory requirements under the Drone Rules, 2021 and the Certification Scheme for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (CSUAS), 2022. By enabling comprehensive EMI/EMC testing, the partnership significantly enhances India’s capability to certify safe, reliable, and globally compliant Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS).
This move strengthens India’s regulatory infrastructure for drones and supports the growing domestic drone industry with a robust, government-backed testing and certification mechanism.
MoU Signed in the Presence of Senior Officials
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on 2 February 2026 in the presence of senior officials, including:
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Smt. Nidhi Khare, Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs
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Dr. Alok Kumar Srivastava, Director General, National Test House
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Shri Vivek Kashyap, Scientist ‘G’, STQC Directorate
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Shri Pradeep Gunjyal, Scientist ‘F’ and Director, ERTL (North)
The signing marks a formal step towards closer institutional cooperation between NTH and STQC–ERTL (North) in the field of drone testing and certification.
Division of Testing Responsibilities
Under the proposed MoU, EMI/EMC and immunity testing of drones and their subsystems will be carried out at ERTL (North) in accordance with applicable IEC 61000 / IS 14700 standards. The remaining tests will be conducted by NTH at its own premises.
The test reports generated through this collaboration will be seamlessly integrated into the Type Certification process, offering drone manufacturers—especially startups and MSMEs—a transparent, credible, and government-backed certification pathway.
Efficient Use of Infrastructure and Global Benchmarking
The collaborative model avoids duplication of high-cost testing infrastructure and ensures optimal utilisation of existing national facilities. It also significantly strengthens India’s regulatory framework for drone safety and reliability.
Importantly, drones certified through NTH under this framework will meet global benchmarks such as IEC/ISO, MIL-STD, ASTM, and RTCA, thereby enhancing the international acceptance of Indian-certified drones.
Boost to Innovation and Emerging Sectors
By making world-class drone testing and certification accessible and affordable, at substantially lower cost than private facilities, the initiative is expected to accelerate innovation across multiple sectors, including:
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Agriculture
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Logistics
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Healthcare
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Disaster management
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Infrastructure monitoring
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Smart cities
This is likely to provide a strong push to India’s drone ecosystem, particularly benefiting startups and MSMEs working on next-generation drone technologies and applications.
Strengthening NTH’s Role in Drone Certification
The collaboration marks an important milestone in expanding NTH’s drone certification capabilities and building a robust, indigenous, and future-ready drone certification ecosystem for the country.
NTH is approved by the DGCA and QCI as a Certification Body (CB) / Authorized Testing Entity (ATE) under the CSUAS and plays a critical role in ensuring safety, quality, and regulatory compliance for emerging technologies, including drones.
About National Test House
The National Test House (NTH) is a premier scientific and testing institution of the Government of India, established in 1912 and functioning under the Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution. With a nationwide network of NABL-accredited laboratories, NTH provides testing, inspection, quality assurance, and certification services across diverse sectors.
Conclusion
The NTH–STQC–ERTL (North) collaboration represents a major step forward in strengthening India’s drone safety, testing, and certification framework. By enabling advanced EMI/EMC testing, ensuring compliance with global standards, and offering an affordable, government-backed certification pathway, the initiative is set to enhance trust, competitiveness, and global acceptance of Indian drones—supporting India’s ambition to emerge as a global hub for certified, reliable, and innovative drone technologies.
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Source: PIB
