India has made impressive strides toward defense independence, quickly adjusting to the changing nature of combat that is driven by non-contact technologies. The country is deploying cutting-edge drones and modernizing its military infrastructure, industry, and strategic doctrines for long-term autonomy as a result of these breakthroughs, which are proving crucial in contemporary wars.
Former DRDO Director General and current NITI-Aayog member Vijay Kumar Saraswat emphasizes that non-contact, stand-off engagements will predominate in future conflicts. Saraswat notes that “the majority of future wars will be non-contact and stand-off in nature.”
He points out that over the course of ten years, India’s reliance on imports has decreased from 70% to 60%. The next phase will focus on long-range air-to-air missiles, laser-based directed energy weapons, high-altitude long-endurance UAVs, and swarm-capable drone fleets that can overwhelm enemy airspace.
The importance of drone-centric warfare is highlighted by international wars, such as those between Israel and Iran, Armenia and Azerbaijan, and Ukraine and Russia. This field is dominated by countries that excel in sustainable manufacturing, quick invention, and flexible tactics. Understanding unmanned systems is crucial for India, which is surrounded by tense borders and active conflict areas.
By streamlining rules and encouraging innovation and deployment, the Drone Rules 2021 have accelerated India’s drone industry. Unveiled in the 2022 Union Budget, the Drone Shakti Mission supports public-private collaborations, incubators, entrepreneurs, Drone-as-a-Service models, and defense applications.
According to Stimson Center estimates, India has integrated 2,000–2,500 drones by mid-2024, with investments ranging from $361.45 million to $421.69 million. The inventory includes loitering weapons like Harpy and Harop as well as Israeli reconnaissance UAVs like the IAI Searcher and Heron. 31 MQ-9B Predator HALE UAVs are acquired from the United States under a $3.5 billion deal in October 2024.
Platforms like the Nagastra-1 suicide drone, Rustom-2 MALE UAV, and Archer-NG armed tactical drone, which have all been verified in operations, are the result of indigenous efforts that supplement imports.
According to SP Aviation, there are 270 drone start-ups in India. By 2026, the industry is expected to reach ₹5,000 crore, and by 2030, it will become a global hub. Few, however, have the ruggedized technology necessary for military rigor.
Yeshwanth Reddy, the CEO and co-founder of Unmanned, stated at the Bangalore Tech Summit that the industry’s weakness is its reliance on imported batteries, sensors, motors, and silicon chips. In order to strengthen aeronautical self-reliance with long-lasting national benefits, he called for subsystem-level domestic innovation.
These worries were echoed by Lt Gen Rahul R. Singh, Deputy Chief of Army Staff, who cautioned about backdoors and malware in imported flight controls. With the Army and Ministry of Defence developing a Drone Framework to encourage local manufacture, reduce risks, and expedite testing, he reaffirmed the importance of a safe, domestic drone ecology.
DRDO develops Kamikaze drones, or loitering munitions, for independent defense. The UAV-Launched Precision Guided Missile (ULPGM)-V3 was tested in 2025 at the National Open Area Range in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh.
India is a leader in swarm tactics, deploying large numbers of tiny UAVs to overwhelm defenses. In 2021, the Army demonstrated swarms of 75 drones that could hit targets more than 50 kilometers away. In 2023, New Space Research and Technologies provided a swarm of 100 drones for use on the battlefield.
India uses advanced anti-drone technology to combat drone threats. Supported by a command center with real-time imaging and RF screens, the D4 system from DRDO and BEL uses radar, electro-optical sensors, RF jamming, GPS spoofing for soft kills, and lasers for hard kills to identify, track, and neutralize.
The Army adopted the SAKSHAM system, which uses AI for low-altitude defense, from BEL in October 2025. It provides integrated soft/hard kill choices, predictive analysis, and 3D visualization.
Solar Defence and Aerospace Limited tested Bhargavastra in May 2025. It uses guided micro-missiles and unguided micro-rockets with a 20-meter kill radius to battle swarms. It is compatible with jammers and spoofers, detects at 6–10 km, and neutralizes up to 2.5 km, making it suitable for altitudes above 5,000 meters.
The Army and Air Force will purchase sixteen domestic laser-based anti-drone weapons that can use 10 kW beams to engage targets at a distance of two kilometers.
India is now positioned alongside the US, China, and Russia in this capability thanks to DRDO’s 30 kW Shahastra Shakti directed energy weapon, which has been tested at 5 km ranges with defense forces. Through training facilities at the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun, the Infantry School in Mhow, and the Officers Training Academy in Chennai, the Indian Army integrates drones into its operations.
Chief of Army Staff Gen. Upendra Dwivedi ordered drone platoons for every infantry battalion and counter-drone devices along with loitering ammunition for artillery regiments on the 26th Kargil Vijay Diwas.
During the Kargil celebrations on July 26, 2025, the Army showcased surveillance drones such as Asteria AT-15, Switch RPAS, Q6 UAV, and Trinetra.
DG Daljit Singh Chawdhary opened the Border Security Force’s academy in Tekanpur, Madhya Pradesh, in September 2025 to train “drone commandos” and “drone warriors” for operations such as Operation Sindoor. The force is responsible for guarding the borders between Bangladesh and Pakistan.
In September 2025, the Spear Corps conducted Exercise ‘Drone Kavach’ in eastern Arunachal Pradesh to validate drones and counters in the context of battle readiness.
Drone platoons with four observation UAVs and six armed varieties, including Kamikaze and precision-drop models, are currently stationed in about 380 infantry battalions.
For AI-enhanced land drones, the Army collaborates with IndyASTRA in Bangalore. The drone production and testing facility of Raphe mPhibr was inaugurated in Noida in 2025 by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh.
Drones are transforming civilian domains outside of conflict, such as mapping floods, planting farms, transporting medications to isolated regions, and supporting wildlife protection against poachers. India’s dual use of this technology promotes both national development and security.