India's Drone Doctrine — From Heron to MQ-9B and the Swarm Start-ups In Between

Unmanned systems are the fastest-moving line in Indian defence procurement. Three layers are emerging.

Layer 1: strategic ISR — MQ-9B

The US$3.5 billion contract for 31 MQ-9B (15 SeaGuardians for the Navy, eight SkyGuardians each for the Army and Air Force) was signed in October 2024, with deliveries from 2029. The Navy has leased two SeaGuardians since 2020, flying them over 18,000 hours across the Indian Ocean. The MQ-9B brings 40-hour endurance, satellite control and Hellfire missiles; a maintenance hub in India is part of the deal.

Layer 2: MALE and tactical — Heron, Drishti-10, TAPAS

• Heron Mk II drones were fast-tracked under emergency powers after 2020; Project Cheetah aims to arm the older Heron fleet.
• Drishti-10, Adani's licence-built Hermes 900, is being inducted by the Navy and Army — the first MALE drone made in India by a private firm.
• TAPAS-BH, DRDO's indigenous MALE design, missed the Army's altitude and endurance targets but a small batch is entering service while an upgrade is developed.

Layer 3: the start-up swarm

Through iDEX, the services have contracted dozens of start-ups:

• NewSpace Research — swarm drones for the IAF, and a high-altitude pseudo-satellite.
• ideaForge — the SWITCH and NETRA family; over 1,000 drones in Army service.
• Solar/Economic Explosives — Nagastra-1 loitering munition, 480 delivered in 2024.
• Garuda, Big Bang Boom, Sagar Defence, Raphe mPhibr — kamikaze drones, anti-drone systems and unmanned surface vessels.

The Army's emergency procurement rounds (2020-2024) put over ₹2,000 crore into drones and counter-drone systems, most of it to Indian firms.

Counter-drone

After the 2021 Jammu airbase attack, DRDO's D4 anti-drone system and Zen Technologies' laser-based systems were deployed at airbases and along the Punjab border, where Pakistani narcotics and weapons drops by drone number in the hundreds each year.

What is missing

A high-altitude, long-endurance indigenous platform; domestic engines and gimbals; and clear rules for weaponised drones in civil airspace. These are the gaps the next iDEX challenges and the 2025 Drone Policy revisions target.

Track open challenges and vendors in the Industry Hub.