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

Drone warfare uses unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for surveillance, attack, and strategic operations in modern conflicts.

Swarms are hard to detect, saturate defences, and can destroy high-value targets at very low costs.

India uses a layered defence system combining radars, lasers, jammers, AI grids, and interceptor drones.

A Ukrainian drone operation using FPV drones to destroy Russian airbases and bombers deep inside Russia.

AI-powered, autonomous swarms capable of complex coordination are reshaping global military doctrines and defence priorities.

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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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.