Lieutenant General Mohit Malhotra, Army Commander, Sapta Shakti Command, visited Hisar Military Station on August 10 and 11, 2026, to review operational preparedness and assess ongoing technology development initiatives aimed at strengthening the Indian Army’s future combat capabilities.
The visit focused on enhancing combat readiness through faster absorption of emerging technologies, indigenous innovation and the development of solutions designed to address evolving battlefield requirements.
During his visit, Lt Gen Mohit Malhotra inspected the Nodes for Drone and Counter-Drone Centres of Excellence at Hisar Military Station. He was briefed on the progress being made in developing and integrating unmanned aerial systems, counter-unmanned aerial systems and associated technologies into operational formations.
The growing use of drones across contemporary battlefields has significantly altered the character of modern warfare. Unmanned aerial platforms are increasingly being employed for surveillance, reconnaissance, target acquisition, logistics support and precision engagement, while hostile drones have simultaneously created new challenges for force protection and battlefield security.
Against this backdrop, the Indian Army has placed increasing emphasis on both drone capabilities and effective counter-drone measures. The Centres of Excellence reviewed by the Army Commander are intended to support experimentation, training, evaluation and technology integration so that operational units can rapidly adopt systems suited to emerging threats.
Lt Gen Malhotra reviewed the progress achieved in emerging technology integration and examined initiatives aimed at translating technological developments into practical battlefield applications.
The Army Commander also witnessed an Innovation Display featuring a range of indigenous solutions developed to enhance operational effectiveness.
The display highlighted the emphasis being placed on locally developed technologies that can address specific requirements of soldiers and formations operating under varied terrain, climatic and tactical conditions.
Such innovation initiatives have become an increasingly important component of the Indian Army’s modernisation drive, with formations encouraged to identify operational challenges and develop practical technological solutions in collaboration with defence industry, academia, start-ups and internal innovation ecosystems.
The emphasis on indigenous development also aligns with the broader Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, which seeks to reduce dependence on imported defence technologies while strengthening India’s domestic defence manufacturing and research capabilities.
Rapid technology absorption has emerged as a major priority for the Indian Army as developments in artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, drones, electronic warfare, surveillance technologies and precision weapons continue to transform the battlefield.
The experience of recent conflicts around the world has demonstrated that relatively inexpensive unmanned systems can have a disproportionate impact on military operations when combined with effective surveillance, communications and targeting networks.
Counter-drone capabilities have therefore become equally important. Modern counter-unmanned aerial systems may involve a combination of detection, tracking, electronic warfare, jamming and kinetic or non-kinetic neutralisation measures depending on the threat environment.
By developing dedicated nodes and Centres of Excellence, the Army is seeking to create institutional mechanisms where new technologies can be tested, refined and incorporated into operational doctrine and training.
The Hisar visit also provided the Army Commander an opportunity to assess the overall operational preparedness of formations and units under the Sapta Shakti Command.
Lt Gen Mohit Malhotra emphasised the importance of maintaining high standards of combat readiness while simultaneously embracing technologies capable of providing soldiers with greater situational awareness, survivability and operational effectiveness.
The focus on innovation at Hisar reflects the Indian Army’s broader effort to build a technologically empowered and future-ready force capable of responding rapidly to emerging security challenges.
Rather than treating technological modernisation as a standalone process, the Army has increasingly sought to integrate innovation directly with training, operational planning and battlefield requirements.
The visit of the Sapta Shakti Command Army Commander therefore highlighted three interconnected priorities — sustained operational preparedness, accelerated technology absorption and greater reliance on indigenous defence solutions.
The initiatives underway at Hisar Military Station demonstrate the Army’s continuing effort to combine conventional combat proficiency with emerging technologies, particularly drones and counter-drone systems, as it prepares for increasingly complex and technology-intensive future battlefields.
With innovation, indigenous capability development and operational readiness being pursued simultaneously, Sapta Shakti Command continues to strengthen its ability to meet present security requirements while preparing its formations for the demands of future warfare.
