We are pleased to announce that the Centre of Aviation and Space Laws, West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences and Centre for Research in Air & Space Law, Maharashtra National Law University Mumbai will jointly host the International Conference on Unmanned Aircraft Systems on 30th April 2022.
We look forward to meeting you and value your contribution to the ongoing success of this annual conference. The purpose of the Conference is to bring together scholars from India and outside to interact, share ideas and build collegial networks which may facilitate dialogue and research collaborations.
We hope that this forum will be widely used to bring together collaborators in various projects. The Conference shall be conducted online, through WebEx.
About the theme
In recent years, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or drones have become a hot topic involving technology, security challenges, rules, and regulations globally due to the remarkable improvements and uses in remote sensing and photogrammetry applications. This conference focuses on the growth and development of unmanned aerial vehicles, classification and comparison of UAVs, and hardware and software design concerns in civil and military applications. Some have declared 2013 to be the year of the drone. The use of drones is developing at a quick pace around the world and specifically in EASA Countries.
The use of drones is extremely varied. Some examples are precision agriculture, infrastructure inspection, pipeline, and power inspection, natural resources monitoring, environmental compliance, atmospheric research, media and entertainment, filming, wildlife protection, and research, hunting and anti-hunting monitoring, disaster relief, and military applications such as surveillance, reconnaissance, defence.
Academic discussions can play a vital role in this continuous process of evolution of Unmanned Aerial Systems and Vehicles. The conference will help in the concurrence of learners and researchers from different countries which will lead to an exchange of thoughts, expression, creativity, novelty, and innovation.
India encountered its first drone attack on June 27, 2021. Two low-flying drones carrying improvised explosive devices targeted Air Force Station Jammu (IEDs). However, since August 2019, drone sightings have become more common in India. So far, around 150 drone sightings have been reported. The major setback of the Drone laws in India is their implementation.
The new Drone Rules 2021, are eminent, but there are numerous challenges to its implementation also. Drone threats to India can be effectively reduced if rules are combined with a practical implementation approach.
The Conference will also take into analysis the resolution of the Human Rights Council in the Geneva Convention on the use of UAVs in counterterrorism and military operations called upon States to ensure that their records on the use of remotely piloted aircraft or armed drones are transparent, and they must conduct timely, independent, and impartial inquiries if there are indications that their use has resulted in a violation of international law.
During the conference, the participants will delve into specific rights and obligations of the above-mentioned applications and also agreements by the contracting States so that international civil aviation may expand in a safe and orderly manner, and international air transport services can be formed based on equal opportunity and run efficiently.
India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her 2022 Budget speech mentioned that the government would promote the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and drone technology in a big way to modernise and streamline processes across sectors such as education, banking, transport and infrastructure. Through the ‘Drone Shakti’ project, the government will encourage start-ups to come up with varied applications for drones, including drones as a service. These events make the conference timely in the Indian context.
Thematic Areas
This conference will have presentations focusing on the following thematic areas:
- Humanitarian Concerns raised by the Use of Armed Drones ·Drone Attacks and Self Defense
- Chicago Convention Norms on UAVs
- Licensing Norms and State Responsibility
- UAVs and Missile Technology Control Regime ·Commercial Drone Uses and Legal Issues
- UAVs and National Security
- Future of Drones in India: Drone Regulations 2021 and more ·Building a framework to protect Privacy from Drones
Call for papers
- Those who are interested in presenting a paper on any of the above themes must submit an abstract of 300 words on or before 1st March 2022.
- The authors of the abstracts selected for presentation will be informed by 8 March. A full-length paper of 4,000 – 6,000 words must be sent by 20 April 2022.
- Submission of the full paper would be presumed as unconditional consent of the author/s for a possible publication by the organizers.
- The papers will be selected on a competitive basis. Conference papers may be published in the Indian Review of Air and Space Law.