Thousands of UAVs filled the skies. Some watched. Some struck. Others confused enemy sensors or jammed communications. It was the subcontinent’s first true drone war—and perhaps the start of a new era.
Swarms over Sindoor: When the future arrived early
India’s “Operation Sindoor” launched with precision missile strikes on nine terror camps across the Line of Control. But it was the drones that stole the headlines. Loitering munitions like the IAI Harop and kamikaze UAVs from Indian and Israeli origin swarmed across targets. In response, Pakistan retaliated with Turkish Bayraktar TB2s and Chinese Wing Loong IIs.
Each side deployed over 1,000 drones. Not just to attack, but to observe, disrupt, and deceive.
“This marks a significant shift in the character of South Asian warfare,” said Rabia Akhtar, visiting fellow at Harvard’s Belfer Center in a report by Foreign Policy. “Drones weren’t just tools of surveillance. They were instruments of strategic messaging—fast, low-risk, and deadly.”
For the Indian Army, the learning curve was sharp.“Managing the airspace with so many flying objects, jammers on both sides, and other users of airspace will be a huge challenge,” admitted a senior officer in a Deccan Herald report.
More than eyes in the sky
“Drones now are not just about surveillance,” said Agnishwar Jayaprakash, founder of Garuda Aerospace. “They need to carry payloads, drop bombs, and execute kamikaze missions. That requires integration between drone intelligence and explosive intelligence.”
Garuda is among a growing list of Indian companies stepping up. The firm, which aims to reach 75% indigenous content in its drones within three years, collaborates with HAL and BEML. They’re building UAVs that don’t just watch—they think, strike, and survive.
Another major player, ideaForge, underlined what’s really needed now: consistency.
“Operation Sindoor has rightly placed India’s defence-tech startups in the spotlight,” said Ankit Mehta, CEO of ideaForge. “However, what the sector urgently needs is a clear and consistent procurement pipeline from the government.”
He told ET, “Defence innovation cannot succeed in isolation. It requires clear public-private collaboration and transparency in buying cycles. Above all, the sector’s key expectation is consistent demand, ensuring the capabilities we develop are fully utilised when national security needs them most.”
Brains behind the bots: AI and autonomy
It’s not just about flying machines—it’s about smart ones.
Garuda’s systems now use AI and machine learning (ML) for everything from autonomous flight to target recognition and predictive fleet analytics. “AI and ML are at the core of our drone technology,” the company states, noting over 10 lakh flight hours across its fleets.
Yet, the challenges are real. A senior defence company senior official warned: “Nobody is going to give us the latest AI or drone technology. We have to develop it ourselves, customised to our terrain, our needs, and our systems.”
India’s strategy runs on two AI tracks—civilian and defence. But while the software side has matured, the hardware story is bleak.
“We’re still dependent on imports for edge-AI processors and high-performance computing chips,” the expert added. Without homegrown AI hardware, software superiority won’t be enough.
The invisible war: Cyber and electronic frontlines
Cyber-electronic warfare doesn’t make headlines—but it can end wars before they begin. From GPS spoofing to malware that freezes command centres, the dangers are growing.
“A cyberattack is like putting a pin in your brain,” the defence company senior official said. “Your body—your assets—remain intact, but you’re paralysed.”
India’s communication systems, increasingly digitised and centralised, make this a critical vulnerability. The consensus is clear: India needs a dedicated Cyber Command, built like those of the US or Israel. One that can detect, defend, and—when needed—disrupt.
Not just Make in India, but Create in India.
India’s defence posture is shifting from manpower-heavy to tech-intensive. But this transition can’t succeed with assembly lines alone. It requires invention.
“Make in India is not enough,” the defence company senior official said. “We need to ‘Create in India’. Designing, developing, and producing end-to-end solutions domestically is the only way forward.”
This means accepting risk. Tolerating failure. Funding early-stage ideas without expecting instant ROI. India’s defence R&D ecosystem—from DRDO and CDAC to private firms and academia—must align under one goal: self-reliant innovation.
Cost, capability and the counter-drone race
India isn’t just building drones—it’s building ways to stop them. During Operation Sindoor, Bharat Electronics Limited’s revamped L-70 anti-air guns played a starring role. So did electromagnetic jammers and homegrown detection systems.
“You can’t shoot down a ₹20 lakh drone with a ₹5 crore missile,” the expert said. “That’s not sustainable.”
DRDO has licensed six Indian companies to mass-produce counter-drone systems. And it’s not stopping at the skies. Underwater unmanned vehicles (UUVs) are next, along with radars that can detect swarm attacks without triggering friendly fire.
Upward trajectory: The Space race
By the time a hypersonic missile is detected, it might already be too late. That’s why India is looking skyward.
Space-based early warning systems—constellations of satellites using synthetic aperture radar (SAR)—will become the new first responders. A recent ISRO launch failed to deploy one such payload. Still, optimism persists.
“The setbacks are technical, not strategic,” the official said. “We will overcome them.”
In fact, Garuda Aerospace sees crossover potential, “Our strong R&D in drone autonomy can also feed into future space-based autonomous systems.”
Collaboration: The four pillars
The senior defence company senior official envisions a four-pillar model: Academia, Startups, R&D Institutions, and Industry. Together, they must build both the ideas and the tools India needs.
But many startups face a familiar frustration. “You involve us in development, we invest time and money thinking production will follow—and then nothing comes,” the expert noted. “That’s demoralising.”
Consistency and continuity in defence orders could change that.
Export or perish
India’s defence budget is vast—yet most of it funds salaries and pensions. Little goes toward future tech.
“If the government can’t buy everything, it must help us sell,” the expert argued.
Countries like Armenia and Morocco have already begun ordering Indian systems. But exports require more than product—they need deals, diplomacy, and government-backed financing. “Look at South Korea,” he said. “They started with nothing and are now exporting advanced systems. We must do the same.”
The war before the war
Drones, cyber tools, and AI aren’t just weapons. They’re deterrents. And diplomats. Used well, they allow targeted responses without escalation. Used poorly, they could provoke catastrophe—especially in a nuclear-armed neighbourhood.
As drone warfare expert James Patton Rogers noted, Drones allow militaries “to limit strikes to military targets, test defences, and provide a lower escalation response.”
But that flexibility comes with temptation. If war is easier to start, will it be harder to stop?
India’s answer must be bold, strategic—and unshakably local. The new war has already begun. And this time, it won’t wait.
