When Francis Rohan John built his first drone in college, it barely got off the ground.
“I had spent weeks researching components, ordered them from China after saving up enough pocket money, and then, with the help of friends, built a drone. Sadly, it didn’t take off. Instead, it kept crashing. A lot,” he recalls.
The repeated failures, however, did not dampen the 27-year-old’s spirit. If anything, they only strengthened his resolve. Since childhood, Francis has always been curious about how things worked, and, in this particular case, why they didn’t.
“My parents used to quip that when I was a child, I was always around circuit boards. This is, of course, a slight exaggeration on their part, but the fact remains: I was fascinated by the world of electronics — how the assembly of seemingly ordinary, immaterial pieces can create wonders,” says the youngster from Kochi.
First drone
If it was a remote-controlled helicopter that he couldn’t get that catapulted Francis into the world of motors and rotors, his inherent curiosity came of age and found direction during his time at Viswajyothi College of Engineering and Technology in Muvattupuzha.
“It was here, in 2017, that I first began tinkering with drones. It happened almost nonchalantly. Though drones and their manufacture were a wayward departure from our syllabus, it still felt like a natural extension of our domain: electronics. So, my friends and I began building one,” Francis recalls.
They imported the individual electronic components from China and started putting them together. “Our drone only had a few basic parts: the frame, motors, propellers, the control board and remote control system. It cost only Rs 12,000 then — a relatively small amount compared to how much drones cost today,” he says.
The group learned how to assemble them mostly through trial and error and watching YouTube tutorials. After a month of work, they had a prototype. Only, it wouldn’t fly.
Not one to give up, Francis persisted at it, and later, after much tinkering, the drone lifted off — and so did the youngster’s ambition. “The moment it took off, I knew I wanted to build more of these.”
Aerial view
However, back in 2017, drones were rare. Beyond the odd wedding photographer or hobbyist, few people owned one. “There wasn’t really a community in Kerala. So we took it upon ourselves to build one — Drone Racers Kerala (DRK),” Francis says.
It began with just 10 members, but their enthusiasm was sky-high. They organised what may have been Kerala’s first drone shows, flew custom builds to demonstrate different applications, and even taught children how to build their own.
Soon, word spread. Requests began trickling in from attendees who wanted custom drones made. “I enjoyed electronics. The fact that I could now earn from it was a bonus,” Francis says. By 2019, the group had grown significantly, and so had demand. This prompted the group to formalise their work.
The first office was his friend and business partner, Cino Babu’s cramped apartment, packed with tools and parts. “It was chaotic, but exciting,” Francis says.
In 2020, they launched an online store (www.drkstore.in), starting with just one product: a video transmitter for FPV (first-person view) drones. “It sold out quickly. That told us the interest was real,” he recalls.
Slowly, they expanded their product list, always responding to what customers were asking for. By the end of 2022, the store had gained serious traction, so much so that its growth emboldened Francis to quit his day job to focus full-time on drones.
Vital cog
What had set DRK Store apart wasn’t flashy marketing. In fact, the group has, to date, never spent a single coin on ads. It was their service. “We focused on after-sales support, which most stores ignored. And we stocked spares. If, say, a customer drone arm broke, you didn’t have to buy a whole new frame. You could just replace the part. That mattered,” Francis points out.
Indeed, this no-frills approach of theirs helped build loyalty among their customers. Focusing on individual components and seamless repairs, which Francis himself tended to, meant that DRK Store was able to keep its prices down at a time when other stores hiked theirs.
Their customer base, initially school and college hobbyists, soon included businesses, from agriculture to surveying, even defence and government agencies. “We expanded our inventory based on inbound requests. That helped us anticipate demand trends,” Francis explains.
As to what separates them from a cluster of similar drone stores that have mushroomed in the state in recent years, Francis says, “There are many sellers now, some even operating without adhering to the rules and regulations. They try to undersell, and we can’t always compete on prices. But what we offer is compliance, service, and access to premium global brands. That’s our edge.”
Border patrol
One of their biggest leaps came in March 2024, when the Indian Army reached out. “The Ukraine-Russia war had shown how effective first-person view drones could be — cheaper and more agile. The Indian Army, too, wanted to build its capacity in drone warfare. So, we helped them source and assemble components,” Francis says.
The group supplied several drones to regiments posted along the border. Now, in the wake of Operation Sindoor, which saw drone warfare introduced perhaps for the first time in the subcontinent, Francis is set to conduct in-person training for Army personnel at various places.
“The Armed Forces come to us with specific needs — surveillance, training, target acquisition — and we source components accordingly and help build them,” the youngster adds.
While most of the components still come from abroad, that’s changing. “Import restrictions have pushed us toward local manufacturing. Basic components like motors and propellers are now being made in India. The capability is certainly growing,” Francis points out. “While India has the tech talent, we need more manufacturing muscle.”
Beyond domination
Beyond its military applications, drones can also be used for a plethora of utilitarian and even creative works. And this is what piques Francis’s interest the most.
“Drones can be used to augment agricultural work — seeding and spraying; inspection and surveillance; crowd control (via loudspeakers), photography, fire fighting, and even window cleaning — there’s a wide range of uses,” he highlights.
Indeed, after the 2018 Kerala floods, Francis had built an emergency rescue drone to locate people, drop supplies, and tag their GPS locations so that officials could respond. That prototype was recognised widely and remains a favourite among his early projects.
Even as India’s new drone policy is set to change the game, Francis’s mission remains clear. “To make drones more accessible, whether it’s for students or soldiers.”