India’s Drone Defence Strategy: Swarms, Threats & Future Warfare

Drone Warfare in India Latest News

• Former Army Chief General M M Naravane’s 2021 warning about the dangers of low-tech warfare remains highly relevant today.
• Two recent incidents highlight this:
  • Recently, Ukraine used cheap First Person View (FPV) drones to bomb five Russian airbases, showcasing how low-cost drones can bypass traditional air defences.
  • In May, during the post-Operation Sindoor hostilities, Pakistan launched relentless drone swarm attacks across India’s western front. 
• These events underscore the urgent need to rethink air defence strategies in an era of asymmetric and low-cost drone warfare.

The Rise of Drone Warfare: A Strategic Shift

• Drones, or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), trace back to World War II and the Korean War, mainly used for training and limited offensives. 

Drone Swarms: The Future of Combat

• Swarms are groups of drones that operate together, adapt in real time, and continue missions despite losses. 
• Their advantages include saturation attacks, real-time intel gathering, and coordinated strikes on high-value targets.
• Future drone swarms, powered by artificial intelligence, will make autonomous decisions, adapt tactics, and integrate with ground and cyber warfare units.

Market Outlook

• The global military drone market is booming — from $14.14 billion in 2023 to a projected $47.16 billion by 2032 — reflecting their growing role in modern warfare.

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The Growing Threat of Drone Swarms

• Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan warned about the increasing use of small, swarm-capable drones that are nearly undetectable and untargetable, posing a serious security challenge.

Asymmetric Advantage and Strategic Challenge

• Swarm drones are cheap but deadly — capable of inflicting massive damage on high-value targets. 
• For example, a $1,000 drone can potentially destroy a $200 million aircraft. 
• Launching them from mobile platforms near sensitive sites makes defence difficult.

India’s Unique Vulnerabilities

• With porous borders and diverse populations, India faces a high risk of such surprise attacks. 
• The ability to move drones covertly, as Ukraine did across Russian territory, illustrates the scale of the threat.

Need for Comprehensive Security Integration

• Defending against swarm drones requires coordination across military, intelligence, and civil policing — even a local traffic constable could play a role in early detection.

Countering Drone Threats: Multi-Layered Defence Strategies

• Detection is the First Line of Defence
  • Modern anti-drone systems begin with detection using: AESA radars; Electro-optical & infrared sensors; Acoustic detectors; AI-powered sensor fusion systems.
• Kinetic Neutralisation: Traditional but Costly
  • Drones can be destroyed by missiles or anti-aircraft guns, but this method is expensive and inefficient against swarms. 
  • Automated systems like – C-RAM; Phalanx gun systems – are more effective for rapid engagement.
• Emerging Cost-Effective Technologies
  • To reduce defence costs, militaries are shifting toward:
    • Directed Energy Weapons (DEWs): Lasers & microwaves disable drones electronically.
    • Electronic Warfare (EW): Jams GPS/communication signals.
    • Spoofing: Misdirects drone navigation and commands.
    • Cyber Attacks: Hacks drones and crashes them remotely.
    • Interceptor Drones & Nets: Physically capture or disable hostile drones at close range.
• The Challenge of Cost Asymmetry
  • A drone swarm costing $100,000 may require millions to neutralise with missiles — making low-cost defensive options a priority.
• The Layered Defence Model
  • Optimal protection combines multiple technologies in layers for redundancy and cost-efficiency.
  • Examples: Israel’s Iron Dome; US’s DE M-SHORAD
  • India is also developing such integrated systems.

India’s Capabilities Against Drone Threats

• Akashteer Air Defence Control System
  • Developed by Bharat Electronics Ltd, it links with the Indian Air Force’s integrated command network for real-time airspace tracking and threat response.
• Bhargavastra
  • Created by Solar Defence and Aerospace Ltd, this system launches 64 micro-rockets in rapid salvos to destroy incoming drone swarms.
• DRDO’s Anti-Drone System: Offers 360-degree radar coverage and dual-action neutralisation:
  • Soft kill: Jamming communication and GPS signals
  • Hard kill: Laser targeting
  • Detects drones up to 4 km away and neutralises threats within a 1 km radius.
• Indrajaal
  • Developed by a Hyderabad-based startup, this AI-powered defensive grid uses a combination of jammers, spoofers, and real-time intelligence to secure up to 4,000 sq km. 
  • It is operational at Indian naval installations in Gujarat and Karnataka.

Looking Ahead: The Future of Drone Warfare and India’s Preparedness

• Global Drone Arms Race
  • There is an ongoing global race to enhance both drone and anti-drone technologies. For example:
    • Iran is producing 20+ Shahed drones daily, showcasing rapid scalability.
    • India has established a growing drone ecosystem, supported by 550+ startups, combining indigenous development and acquired technologies.
• The New Face of War
  • Future conflicts are expected to be:
    • Unmanned: With drones taking over many battlefield roles
    • AI-Driven: Enabling autonomous decision-making
    • Asymmetric: Where low-cost tech can target high-value assets
  • CDS General Anil Chauhan emphasizes a paradigm shift:
    • “We are at a cusp where war may be between humans and machines — and tomorrow, between machines themselves.”
  • This underscores the urgent need for resilient, AI-integrated defence systems to counter increasingly sophisticated threats. 

Source: IE