By Air Marshal Anil Chopra (Retired), an Indian Air Force veteran fighter test pilot and is the former Director-General of the Center for Air Power Studies in New Delhi.
By Air Marshal Anil Chopra (Retired), an Indian Air Force veteran fighter test pilot and is the former Director-General of the Center for Air Power Studies in New Delhi.
Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh stressed the urgent need earlier this year to build a drone production ecosystem to ensure strategic autonomy, enhance defense preparedness, and make the country self-reliant. In view of the present geopolitical uncertainties, he called for a push to establish India as a global hub for indigenous drone manufacturing. Citing modern warfare lessons from the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the US-Israeli war against Iran, he said drones and counter-drone systems are now decisive elements of national security.
He highlighted the need for component-level self-reliance. True self-reliance extends beyond final assembly. It requires domestic production of critical parts, including molds, software, engines, and batteries, to reduce import dependence. Building a robust domestic production ecosystem is vital for defense preparedness and strategic autonomy amid ongoing geopolitical uncertainties. India must emerge as a global hub for indigenous drone manufacturing, the defense minister said. Indian Defense Forces Vision 2047 calls for a space, cyber command, and drone force.
India’s adversary neighbors are already developing global-class drones. China produces the GJ-11 Sharp Sword and Wing Loong II, and Pakistan co-developed and is producing the Turkish Bayraktar TB2 and Baykar Akinci, as well as the Chinese Wing Loong II.
Meanwhile, Moscow has warned India that the drone threat cannot be viewed as someone else’s war. Ukraine’s saturation drone strikes on Russia’s energy infrastructure are not a distant European problem. Pakistan has already rehearsed a version of the same tactic against India during a five-day conflict in May 2025, and Russia’s example shows what a campaign looks like when it is sustained.
Drones have fundamentally rewritten the rules of modern warfare, with recent conflicts showcasing devastating precision and major tactical shifts. The most striking successes include cost‑effective naval destruction, large‑scale disruption of logistics, and the rise of autonomous, low‑cost loitering munitions.
Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) have become critical force multipliers, giving commanders real-time intelligence, precision targeting, and logistical support without exposing troops to direct danger. At the tactical level, small drones help frontline units scout terrain, clear buildings, and identify enemy positions, often guiding artillery and smart munitions with far greater accuracy and less collateral damage. Their low noise and radar signature also make them ideal for covert reconnaissance, perimeter security, and ambush detection.
At the operational and strategic levels, drones are reshaping how wars are fought and sustained. High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) platforms can loiter for extended periods, tracking borders and supply lines, while cargo drones can deliver ammunition, fuel, and medical supplies directly to frontline units. More advanced UAVs can jam radars, intercept communications, or act as relay nodes in degraded environments. They are also far cheaper to operate than manned aircraft, and with AI, thermal sensors, and vision-based navigation, modern drones can keep flying and gathering intelligence even in contested, GPS-denied conditions.
Both Ukraine and Russia have been able to hit deep into the other’s territory, destroying strategic assets including naval vessels, aircraft, and energy sources. Both sides have targeted individual infantry, destroyed expensive armored vehicles, and conducted trench-clearing operations. This has expanded the concept of the frontline into a multi-mile-wide ‘kill zone’, requiring massive retrofitting of armored vehicles with defensive mesh and cages.
Iranian drone operations have inflicted millions of dollars in damage across US and Israeli facilities in West Asia, serving as a primary tool of attrition. While allied air defenses intercepted the majority, the sheer volume of Shahed and loitering drones successfully depleted defensive resources and struck critical infrastructure.
Among the key operational successes, satellite imagery and analysis have confirmed damage to at least 20 US military sites across eight countries in the Middle East. Drone strikes have successfully targeted high-value assets, including refueling aircraft, radar arrays, and state-of-the-art air defense systems. Iran has utilized one-way attack drones to overwhelm joint US, Israeli, and Gulf partner air defenses. By compelling the deployment of costly interceptors against cheap drones, Iran has effectively tilted the economics of the conflict in its favor.
Alongside direct military targets, Iranian drone strikes have been effectively utilized to target oil fields and critical energy infrastructure. Drone attacks on US-linked energy and refining facilities in Gulf States have disrupted regional production and logistics. The dispersal and constant launch capabilities of Iranian systems have severely strained defensive counter-air patrols, making US and Israeli bases continuous targets despite extensive security measures.
The swarm tactics successfully overwhelm traditional air defense architectures, forcing militaries to drain their highly expensive interceptor stockpiles on low-cost, expendable drone targets.
The US Air Force has lost over 50 MQ-9 Reaper drones since late 2023, with severe attrition occurring during escalating conflicts in the Middle East, US officials have said. The US fleet has shrunk significantly, with losses costing over $1 billion. These costly, slow-moving aircraft have been repeatedly targeted and shot down by adversaries using surface-to-air missiles and advanced air defense systems.
The Yemeni Houthis have had a high success rate in the Red Sea region. Iranian air defenses have successfully intercepted and downed over two dozen Reapers. Around 10% to 20% of the US military’s pre-war inventory has been downed. While they have a significant peacetime role, analysts are questioning the efficacy of using expensive, slow-moving drones in a contested environment.
The key operational challenge for the drones emerges from evolving counter-UAS systems, especially electronic warfare, GPS spoofing, and limited battery endurance. Heavy jamming can sever control and video links, while manipulated satellite navigation can send drones off course or even into enemy hands. Micro-UAVs are also vulnerable to extreme weather, which affects stability and sensor performance, and their reliance on foreign-made chips and components complicates maintenance and rapid deployment.
India’s action plan for the defense drone industry centers on achieving strategic autonomy and capturing a massive share of the projected global UAV market. The Defense Ministry is executing its largest indigenous drone acquisitions ever, with growing planned orders for domestically produced platforms, fast-track emergency procurements, and major contracts by splitting orders among leading Indian companies to rapidly build distinct production lines. Focus areas are for advanced surveillance, loitering munitions, kamikaze drones (such as the Nagastra-1), and deep-penetration unmanned combat vehicles (such as the Ghatak program).
India signed a $3.5 billion government-to-the-government agreement with the US to procure 31 high-altitude, multi-mission armed MQ-9B Sea Guardian/Sky Guardian drones in 2024.
The military is also executing its largest indigenous drone procurement program ever, planning to acquire 87 Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) drones worth another $3.6 billion.
Complementing this, New Delhi is finalizing a broader $2 billion order for tactical, surveillance, and weaponized drones from domestic manufacturers to bolster border and maritime security. These UAVs will require over 60% indigenous content and feature endurance of over 30 hours at 35,000 feet (above 10,000 meters).
New Delhi is fast-tracking the acquisition of smaller tactical, reconnaissance, and loitering munitions to be delivered over the next 18 to 24 months. This major shift highlights a strategic pivot toward indigenous defense tech and the manufacturing of autonomous disposable systems.
India is driving its domestic drone ecosystem through targeted programs, industry committees, and policy tools aimed at boosting innovation and reducing dependence on imports. Key efforts include Bharat Drone Stack, a national portal designed to localize supply chains by linking domestic component makers with major industry players, and the Open Policy Tracker, which helps stakeholders follow real-time regulatory and airspace updates. The push also includes prize funding, startup incubation, and mentorship for student drone developers, along with expert groups working on safety standards and innovation. Regular buyer-seller meets, conferences, and policy recommendations are also being used to promote drone adoption and export opportunities.
Under the Make in India initiative, major players such as HAL, Tata, L&T, and Adani Defense are deeply involved, as the government seeks to reduce dependence on foreign imports and build a comprehensive domestic drone ecosystem.
To reduce dependence on imported drone parts and hardware, the government is pushing for higher local content and focusing especially on key components such as motors and batteries. Future incentives are aimed less at final assembly and more at strengthening the supply chain from the ground up. Through the Production Linked Incentive scheme, which offers financial rewards based on incremental sales to boost domestic manufacturing, small and medium businesses and startups are receiving subsidies to scale up local manufacturing of components and systems. In addition, state-run banks such as SIDBI are offering low-cost working capital and R&D loans. At the same time, the government is simplifying regulations and creating dedicated test ranges to make development and certification easier.
Indian companies are also using lessons from real battlefield conditions to develop electronic-warfare-resistant systems for export to markets in Africa and the Middle East. With Chinese drone components flooding global markets, local manufacturers are being encouraged to diversify their sourcing.
India’s quest to become a global drone hub by 2030, with the industry projected to reach $23 billion, is an ambitious but achievable target. India-US (INDUS-X) strategic collaboration focuses on joint R&D, knowledge transfer, and institutionalizing cybersecurity standards, such as those within the US Blue/Green UAS programs.
India combines Israel’s mature commercial feedback loop and integration ecosystem with Ukraine’s wartime innovation in hardware scalability and survivability. New Delhi is reaching out to the countries of the Global South by formalized agreements (including the one between Drone Federation India and the African Drone Forum).
India is driving policy harmonization and market access for regional logistics deployment. Design-Linked Initiatives (DLI) reward domestic start-ups for producing indigenous intellectual property and hardware designs that global partners can integrate into their supply chains.
Indian-designed autonomous combat systems, like the AI-powered Kaal Bhairav, are not only built locally but are actively exploring manufacturing pipelines in international markets, including NATO nations. Global partners leverage India’s massive software engineering talent pool to overcome technology transfer constraints, aiming to integrate sovereign payloads into global commercial operations
Indian, Russian, and Iranian military officials regularly discuss modern warfare doctrines. The three countries could technically cooperate on Shahed-class drone technology, though any direct trilateral collaboration is highly constrained by current global geopolitics. While New Delhi maintains strong ties with the two nations, its focus on strategic autonomy and defense localization limits direct involvement in sanctioned foreign drone programs.
India values its strategic autonomy and is cautious about engaging in military-technical arrangements that could trigger Western sanctions or disrupt its relationships with the US and Israel. Yet New Delhi wants to continue to strengthen the historical defense relationship with Moscow, as it pursues self-reliance in military hardware and prefers indigenous defense production.
India is using the battlefield lessons from conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East to rapidly advance its own long-range strike drones. Sheshnag 150 long-range one-way attack drone is being developed by New Space Research Technologies in Bengaluru. It features a range exceeding 1,000 kilometers and is designed for adaptable real-world deployment. India is fast-tracking domestic low-cost strike drones conceptually similar to the Shahed.
New Delhi recognizes the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of these systems, but its long-term goal is to manufacture these capabilities domestically rather than relying on technology transfers from foreign partners. There is importance of collaboration across large Indian industries, MSMEs, start-ups, and innovators, supported by a clear and focused government policy framework aligned with national security needs to accelerate the drone industry transformation.
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