Editorial 1 : Drone warfare & India
Context
Drone warfare came home during Op Sindoor.
Drones, a brief history
- Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) date back to World War II and the Korean War, where they were used for training anti-aircraft gunners and in specific offensive missions.
- Their modern military usage took off in the 1990s, after being successfully deployed in the Gulf War of 1991.
- The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict of 2020 marked a turning point in drone warfare: Azerbaijan’s use of Turkish Bayraktar TB2 and Israeli Harop drones devastated Armenian defences, decisively shifting the conflict’s dynamics in favour of Baku.
- Since then, drones have played a key role in: Yemen, where Houthi rebels targeted Saudi oil infrastructure using drone swarms; Gaza, where Israel has deployed high-tech drones for surveillance and strikes, and Hamas has used drones for grenades and observation; and Ukraine, where both Moscow and Kyiv have deployed commercial quadcopters (DJI drones), military drones (Bayraktar TB2, Orlan-10, Shahed-136), and loitering munitions.
- Ukraine has notably used “first-person view” (FPV) racing drones to target tanks, chase individual soldiers and small units.
- Recently, Ukraine carried out Operation Spider’s Web, one of the most sophisticated drone operations in history, using 100–150 FPV drones, transported clandestinely in trucks deep into Russia.
- Meanwhile, Russia throughout the war has used Iranian-made Shahed kamikaze drones in swarms to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses, and target critical infrastructure such as energy grids.
Not one, not two…
- Swarm drones are autonomous or semi-autonomous UAVs that operate in coordinated groups, much like swarms of birds or fish.
- They communicate via wireless networks and adjust in real time to achieve shared objectives.
- Swarms are more resilient than traditional drones due to in-built redundancy — even if one drone is intercepted, others can continue on the mission.
- Drone swarms are thus used to saturate air defences gathering intelligence, and attacking high-value targets.
- According to Fortune Business Insights, the global military drone market stood at $14.14 billion in 2023, and is projected to hit $47.16 billion by 2032.
Countering drone threats
- Defence against drones begins with detection. Modern systems employ a mix of AESA radars, electro-optical and infrared sensors, acoustic detectors, and AI-powered fusion systems.
- Once detected, one option is for drones to be neutralised through kinetic means, that is, with missiles and anti-aircraft guns.
- But traditional kinetic air defences, especially surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), are costly, and less effective against swarms.
- Automated gun systems such as C-RAM and Phalanx, which track targets and fire autonomously, are preferred in this role.
- Even more cost-effective alternatives include: Directed Energy Weapons (DEWs): Lasers and microwave pulses that disable drones by damaging sensors or frying electronics;
- Electronic Warfare (EW): Jamming GPS signals or communication links;
- Spoofing: Misleading drones about their location or issuing false commands;
- Cyber Attacks: Taking control of drones and crash them by exploiting software vulnerabilities; and
- Interceptor drones & nets: For close-range neutralisation, protecting critical assets.
- The asymmetry in cost remains the central challenge in anti-drone warfare. A drone swarm costing roughly $100,000 might take millions of dollars to neutralise with currently available technology.
- This is why nations, including India, are investing in more cost-effective solutions like EW and DEWs.
- The ideal defence is a layered system, integrating multiple modes of interception for redundancy and cost-efficiency purposes. Examples include Israel’s Iron Dome and the US’s Directed Energy M-SHORAD.
India’s capabilities
- Since 2020, India has ramped up its counter-drone infrastructure, deploying a layered defence that blends indigenous technology, EW, and air defence systems.
- Key systems include: Akashteer Air Defence Control System: Developed by Bharat Electronics Ltd, it integrates with the Indian Air Force’s integrated command network for real-time tracking;
- Bhargavastra: Solar Defence and Aerospace Ltd’s weapon system fires 64 micro-rockets in salvos to eliminate drone swarms;
- DRDO’s Anti-Drone System: It offers 360-degree radar coverage, with both jamming (soft kill) and laser (hard kill) capabilities.
- Indrajaal: An AI-powered grid from a Hyderabad startup that combines jammers, spoofers, and intelligence to protect areas up to 4,000 sq km. Already deployed at naval sites in Gujarat and Karnataka.
- During the May 2025 swarm attacks, the IAF activated its Integrated Counter-UAS Grid, alongside conventional radars, guns, and missiles, neutralising attempted strikes on 15 military bases and several urban targets.
Conclusion
The future of warfare is here, and it’s unmanned, AI-driven and asymmetric. India’s response to the May 2025 drone swarms signals it is rapidly adapting to this future.