India’s decision to unveil a Rs 1,950 crore incentive programme for civil and military drone manufacturing marks a watershed moment in its defence and technology policy. This bold move ~ largely shaped by the lessons of the May drone skirmish with Pakistan ~ signals a decisive turn in India’s approach to homegrown innovation in national security and dual-use technologies. The four-day drone-heavy engagement with Pakistan was the first time both nations deployed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at scale in a tactical conflict. It left little doubt that the future battlefield, even in South Asia, will be defined as much by algorithms and autonomous systems as by boots on the ground.

While nuclear deterrence has prevented fullscale war, it has not deterred the rise of limited engagements where drones ~ loitering munitions, kamikaze types, and surveillance UAVs ~ have emerged as force multipliers. India’s current drone capabilities, while improved, remain heavily reliant on imports ~ notably from Israel........

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