Drawing key operational lessons from Operation Sindoor, the Indian Army is set to procure around 850 kamikaze (loitering) drones to significantly enhance the combat capabilities of the Armed Forces and Special Forces.
According to defence sources cited by ANI, the Army’s proposal has reached an advanced stage of acquisition and is likely to receive clearance at a high-level Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) meeting scheduled for the last week of this month.
The procurement is being processed under fast-track procedures, with the drones and associated launchers to be sourced from indigenous manufacturers, reinforcing India’s push for self-reliance in defence production.
Sources said the Indian Army already operates a variety of loitering munitions acquired from multiple sources and is now planning to induct nearly 30,000 such systems in the near future to equip all combat formations across the three Services.
As part of the new operational structure, every Army infantry battalion will be equipped with one ‘Ashni’ platoon, tasked specifically with operating drones. These platoons will be responsible for conducting precision strikes against enemy positions as well as supporting counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations.
The Indian Army made extensive use of drones during Operation Sindoor, targeting terrorist headquarters inside Pakistan in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 civilians were killed. On the first day of the operation, Indian forces successfully neutralised seven of the nine identified terrorist targets.
Defence sources noted that the drone-led strikes resulted in heavy casualties and significant damage to enemy infrastructure along the border. Subsequently, loitering munitions were also employed against Pakistan Army positions when Pakistani forces attempted to intervene in defence of terrorist elements.
The planned large-scale induction of kamikaze drones marks a major step in transforming the Indian Army’s precision-strike, surveillance, and asymmetric warfare capabilities, while underlining the growing role of unmanned systems in modern battlefield operations.
