SOURCE: AFI
As the threat from hostile drones and unmanned aerial systems (UAS) continues to escalate in both conventional and irregular warfare, India’s armed forces are intensifying efforts to counter this evolving menace. The proliferation of drones—demonstrated vividly in conflicts like Armenia-Azerbaijan, Israel-Hamas, and Russia-Ukraine—has underscored their potential to disrupt military operations, target critical infrastructure, and overwhelm traditional air defense systems. In response, the Indian Army, Air Force (IAF), and other security agencies are accelerating the induction of anti-drone systems, while emphasizing the urgent need for more advanced, indigenous solutions with enhanced capabilities.
The Indian Army recently floated a tender for the procurement of nine indigenous Integrated Drone Detection and Interdiction Systems (IDD&IS), adding to those already inducted under emergency procurements to secure the frontier with China. These vehicle-mounted systems, currently in use by the Army Air Defence, are designed to detect and neutralize drones through a combination of “soft-kill” (jamming and spoofing) and “hard-kill” (laser-based destruction) measures. However, their limitations—such as a soft-kill range of 2 to 5 kilometers and a hard-kill range of just 800 meters—highlight the need for more advanced technologies.
The Indian Air Force, meanwhile, is pursuing a broader range of counter-UAS solutions. The IAF has sought 10 kamikaze drone-based anti-swarm systems, 10 mobile micro munitions-based anti-swarm systems, and 100-200 vehicle-mounted counter-UAS. Additionally, starting next month, the IAF will induct 200 radio frequency jammer guns under a contract signed a year ago. The Army is also acquiring 30 vehicle-based drone jammers to bolster its defenses. These systems aim to disrupt the command-and-control links of drones by jamming their satellite or video feeds, providing a critical first line of defense.
Despite these efforts, senior military officers have stressed that the current systems fall short of addressing the rapidly evolving drone threat. “Much more advanced anti-drone systems, with multiple soft-kill and hard-kill options as well as much longer interception ranges, are urgently needed,” a senior officer remarked. The armed forces are seeking solutions that combine jamming, spoofing, and blinding capabilities with cutting-edge directed energy weapons (DEWs), such as high-powered lasers, to neutralize drones effectively.
The growing sophistication of hostile UAS, including low radar cross-section drones and swarm drones, poses a significant challenge. Swarm drones, in particular, can overwhelm defenses by attacking in coordinated groups, making them difficult to counter with traditional systems. The IAF’s air defense systems, equipped with advanced radars and ground-to-air missiles, are primarily designed to thwart larger threats like aircraft, helicopters, and large UAS. However, they lack the multi-sensor, multi-kill capabilities required to effectively neutralize smaller, agile drones. “The lack of adequate effective multi-sensor, multi-kill systems against smaller drones is an operational gap,” an officer noted.
India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has made strides in developing anti-drone technologies, including systems equipped with 2-kilowatt to 10-kilowatt lasers. The armed forces have ordered 23 such systems for approximately Rs 400 crore. However, these systems are still in their nascent stages, and their hard-kill range remains limited. DRDO is reportedly working on DEWs with higher power outputs, but India lags behind other nations in the indigenous development of such complex technologies.
To bridge this gap, domestic private firms are increasingly collaborating with foreign companies to bring advanced anti-drone solutions to India. A notable example is the recent partnership between Anduril Industries (a US-based company) and the Mahindra Group, welcomed during the Modi-Trump summit. This collaboration aims to co-produce an AI-enabled counter-UAS system, marking a significant step toward enhancing India’s autonomous defense capabilities.
The urgency of bolstering anti-drone defenses is reinforced by lessons from recent global conflicts. The Armenia-Azerbaijan war showcased the devastating impact of drones on ground forces, while the Russia-Ukraine conflict highlighted the role of UAS in reconnaissance, precision strikes, and swarm attacks. Similarly, the Israel-Hamas conflict demonstrated the vulnerability of critical infrastructure to drone-based threats. These examples underscore the need for India to modernize its air defense systems, many of which—such as the Army’s legacy systems—have outlived their operational lives and are ill-equipped to counter modern drone threats.
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