Operation Sindoor And India's Emerging Drone Industry
The effective use of drones during the recent Operation Sindoor has underscored the role of India's booming drone industry to cater to defence needs.
Published : May 13, 2025 at 7:29 PM IST
Hyderabad: The utility of the defence drones in the recently launched 'Operation Sindoor' to target terror networks inside Pakistan in the wake of last month's Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir has brought India's drone industry on the country's defence map.
What Are Drones?
Drones are unpiloted aircraft that are either remotely controlled by an operator or autonomously by onboard computers. Drones were initially launched in India as defence equipment but use cases for drones have developed over time. It now carries anything and everything, including vaccinations and medical supplies, as well as gadgets, food and groceries.
In the Operation Sindoor, launched by India in the early hours of May 7 2025 in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed the lives of 26 civilians, India used its armed drones and launched Harop drones to hit terrorist sites and Pakistani air defence systems. Israeli Heron Mk II drones were also deployed by India to keep a close watch on the enemy forces.
SkyStriker suicide drone in Operation Sindoor
SkyStriker suicide drones built in Bengaluru played a major role in destroying terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The SkyStriker suicide drone can carry a warhead of up to 10 kg. SkyStriker is a fully autonomous loitering munitions (LM) that can locate, acquire and strike operator designated targets with a 5 or 10 Kg warhead installed inside the fuselage, enabling high-precision performance.
Bengaluru based Alpha Design Technologies, in partnership with Israel’s Elbit Systems, manufactured the drones in Bengaluru. Adani Defence Systems and Technologies Limited has a 26 per cent stake in Alpha Design Technologies. According to the reports, the Indian Army had placed an order for 100 SkyStrikers in 2021.
India first used military drones during the 1999 Kargil war with Pakistan, where Israel supplied India with IAI Heron and Searcher drones for reconnaissance. Since then India has procured numerous military unmanned aircraft from Israel, and the US.
Drone Manufacturing Industries In India
India’s efforts to make indigenous military drones started way back in 1990 when the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) attempted to build 'Nishant' Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). While developing their own drones, the Indian defence services were importing drones for their war strategies. Over the years, India imported many units of Heron I, Searcher Mk II, and Harop loitering munitions from Israel, and these were deployed at strategic defence bases. Data from Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), an independent global conflict-research institute, says India accounted for the largest share (22.5%) of the world's UAV imports between 1985 and 2014, followed by the UK and France. Almost all of those were from Israel.
In June 2021, in a $200-million deal, India leased four Israeli-made Heron drones, having Automatic Taxi-Take off and Landing (ATOL) systems, ultra-long-range surveillance cameras, and other state-of-the-art gadgets, for surveillance in the Ladakh region, bordering China. DRDO and related institutions like Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) laboratory were developing indigenous drone projects like Abhyas, Ghatak, Rustom- 1, TAPAS, Imperial Eagle, Kapothaka, Lakshya, Nishant, Golden Hawk, Pushpak, and Slybird. Over the years, some of them went into commercial production. Two major PPP projects were Netra, developed by Mumbai-based IdeaForge and the Research and Development Establishment (R&DE), and the HAL CATS warrior drone programme by Newspace R&D and HAL.
In July 2021, the DRDO developed an anti-drone system capable of counterattacks, including detection, Soft Kill (for jamming the communication links of attacking drones) and Hard Kill (laser-based hard kill to destroy the attacking drone). This indigenous DRDO counter-drone technology was transferred to BEL and other companies.
DRDO has developed an Autonomous Flying Wing Technology Demonstrator (AFTD), a high-speed UAV capable of landing autonomously, without relying on ground-based radar, infrastructure, or a pilot. It made its maiden flight in July 2022. The IAF is also developing large, stealthy UCAVs like the Ghatak.
Ongoing project is Archer-NG, an advanced MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance) UAV under development. In October 2024, India and the US concluded a $3.5-billion deal for the procurement of 31 MQ-9B armed High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) manufactured by General Atomics through an inter-governmental agreement.
Private Companies
There are many frontline defence drones like Alpha. Anti-drone makers also emerged in recent years. Apart from the public sector firms—HAL, BEL, and Bharat Dynamics—private players in military drone-making include leaders like
IdeaForge
IdeaForge is a vertically integrated company with an in-house product development centre, allowing us to design, develop, engineer, and manufacture indigenous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). ideaForge had the largest operational deployment of indigenous UAVs across India. And in December 2024, the company ranked as 3rd global dual category (civil & defence) drone manufacturer by Drone Industry Insights, the world’s leading drone survey and analysis company.
Tata Advanced Systems
A new long-range, autonomous suicide drone that is capable of operations from high altitude areas and forward landing grounds has been unveiled by Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL) in February 2025. Named the Advanced Loitering System (ALS), the drone has a range of over 250 km and is designed to take off from advanced landing grounds that are located at altitudes of above 10,000 feet. Several such advanced landing grounds dot the border with China, particularly on the Ladakh border.
Adani Defence Systems and Technologies
Adani Defence & Aerospace is committed to bolster India's military capabilities by implementing cutting-edge defence, aerospace, and security solutions at a global scale. It makes strategic investments by setting up defence manufacturing infrastructure with new lines of production in sectors such as fighter aircrafts, unmanned aerial vehicles, Avionics-systems, composites and an ever expanding horizon. Adani Defence and Aerospace plans to expand its capacity in line with the initiative of ‘Make in India’.
Paras Defence & Aerospace
In an exceptional 40-year journey, Paras Defence & Space Technologies has emerged as a key player in India’s Defence and Space landscape. With a steadfast focus on Research and Development (R&D) excellence and cutting-edge manufacturing, the company ascended as a prominent contender with specialised technological prowess. The leading private sector enterprises operating within the Defence and Space segments, distinguished by their Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured (IDDM) capabilities.
Other companies include Zen Technologies, Sagar Defence, Rattan India, and Garuda Aerospace. JSW UAV Ltd and Shield AI, a leading U.S defence technology company, are investing ₹800 crore in Telangana to make Shield AI’s 'V-BAT,' an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS).
India's Target To Become The Drone Hub By 2030
According to estimates made by the Drone Federation of India, The country's drone market revenue will expand from $500 million in FY2024 to $11 billion by FY2030. This $11 billion includes drone sales, component sales, service and leasing ecosystem. The Indian drone market is anticipated to grow at a remarkable pace in the next five years, led by a mix of government encouragement, technological innovation, and growing demand from various industries. Growing usage of drones in agriculture, defense, logistics, and infrastructure is also anticipated to drive market growth. Advances in technology, especially in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), are making drone operations smarter and more efficient.
India Military Drone Market Size Outlook (2024-2030) according to a Grand View Research report
The India military drone market generated a revenue of USD 1,527.1 million in 2024 and is expected to reach USD 4,082.1 million by 2030.
- The India market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 17.9% from 2025 to 2030.
- In terms of segment, rotary blade was the largest revenue generating type in 2024.
- Hybrid is the most lucrative type segment registering the fastest growth during the forecast period.
- In terms of revenue, India accounted for 3.8% of the global military drone market in 2024.
Defense remains one of the largest markets for drones in India. The future of drones in the military is set to significantly enhance mission success rates, reduce human risk, and enable faster, more precise actions in complex environments. These advanced drones will play an increasingly vital role in intelligence gathering, reconnaissance, and combat support.
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