Business
Drones, Defence, and Disruption: How India’s Drone Tech Is Taking Off
From border surveillance to battlefield support, drones are fast becoming a cornerstone of India’s defence strategy. With government backing and private innovation, the sector is entering a high-altitude growth phase.
India’s push for self-reliance in defence is reaching new heights — quite literally — as indigenous drone technology takes centre stage in both military operations and industrial policy.
Over the last two years, India has significantly accelerated its focus on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) — not just as surveillance tools, but as force multipliers in combat, logistics, and border security.
What’s Driving the Drone Surge
- Defence Ministry Procurements: In 2023–24, the Indian armed forces placed large-scale orders for loitering munitions, tactical drones, and high-altitude surveillance UAVs.
- Make in India Push: Drones are now part of India’s Defence Production and Export Promotion Policy (DPEPP), with incentives for domestic manufacturers.
- Private Players Rising: Startups like ideaForge, Garuda Aerospace, and NewSpace Research & Tech are building combat-ready drones and bagging DRDO, Army, and global contracts.
- Geopolitical Urgency: Post Galwan and escalating tensions with China and Pakistan have made drone-based ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance) critical to border defence.
Use Cases in Defence
- Loitering Munitions: Kamikaze-style drones that self-destruct on target — used in tactical ops.
- Drone Swarms: Coordinated UAVs for offensive and defensive manoeuvres.
- Border Surveillance: Continuous monitoring of LOC, LAC, and infiltration-prone zones.
- Logistics and Medical Supply: High-altitude payload delivery in Siachen and remote bases.
Challenges Ahead
- Lack of component-level manufacturing (India still imports batteries, chips, and flight controllers)
- Airspace management and regulation
- Cybersecurity and jamming vulnerabilities
The Global Context
India is now actively positioning itself as an alternative to Israeli and Chinese drone systems, with a target to become a $5 billion drone economy by 2030. Collaborations with UAE, France, and the US are already underway.
The recent export approval of drones to Armenia, and military-grade UAV demonstrations at Aero India and DefExpo, mark a strong shift from consumer drones to strategic assets.