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In the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, the Indian Army is moving swiftly to integrate unmanned aerial systems across its force structure. The shift reflects a fundamental transformation in operational doctrine; drones and counter-drone systems are no longer peripheral tools but are becoming core to how the Army trains, deploys, and fights.
At the heart of this transformation is the Army’s newly adopted “Eagle in the Arm” concept, a vision where every soldier is not only a rifleman but also a drone operator. According to senior officials, this approach is being operationalised with speed and scale, with dedicated drone units, counter-UAV systems, and specialised training centres now being rolled out across the country.
Drone Centres Established at Key Training Academies
As part of this initiative, drone training has already commenced at premier institutions, including the Indian Military Academy (Dehradun), Infantry School (Mhow), and Officers Training Academy (Chennai). During a visit to Likabali in Arunachal Pradesh, Chief of Army Staff Gen Upendra Dwivedi reviewed one of these facilities, underlining the Army’s resolve to mainstream drone capabilities at the tactical level.
The long-term objective is clear: institutionalise drone operations across all ranks. Every unit, infantry, artillery, and support arms, will eventually have embedded drone assets tailored to their mission profiles: surveillance, target acquisition, logistics, and even battlefield medical evacuation.
“Every infantry battalion will have a dedicated drone platoon,” Gen Dwivedi had announced during the 26th Kargil Vijay Diwas at Dras earlier this year. “Artillery regiments will receive counter-drone platforms and loiter munitions, while composite ‘Divyastra’ batteries will be created to boost precision firepower and survivability.”
Training Push: Drone Hubs Across 19 Major Establishments
To support this doctrinal shift, the Army is setting up drone training centres at 19 key training establishments across India. These include the IMA in Dehradun, OTA Chennai and Gaya, the Infantry School in Mhow, and the School of Artillery in Deolali, among others. The goal is to embed drone operations into the standard curriculum for all personnel, officers and soldiers alike.
The Army has floated a limited Expression of Interest (EOI) to select vendors for supplying training drones, simulators, and associated infrastructure. The procurement, classified under emergency revenue acquisition, signals the urgency with which the Army is pushing this transformation.
Under this initiative, approximately 1,000 drones across various categories, including nano, micro, small, and medium, will be acquired.
Additionally, the plan includes:
- 140 First-Person View (FPV) drones for manoeuvring and combat training
- 600 advanced simulators with compatible hardware and software
- 24×7 outdoor manoeuvre ranges and indoor drone training arenas
- Full-scale certification infrastructure for drone operators across ranks
The Army has set a January 2026 deadline for operationalising these training hubs, and vendors will be required to conduct training programs for personnel at Deolali, Mhow, Dehradun, and Bengaluru. Each session will involve 25 trainees over 4–6 days, with vendors providing both equipment and instructors.
Operation Sindoor: Catalyst for Drone-Centric Warfare
The acceleration of drone integration follows Operation Sindoor, India’s coordinated military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 Indian lives were lost. The cross-border operation, launched on May 7, targeted terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, with precision strikes on key sites such as Noor Khan and Rahimyar Khan airbases.
Crucially, Operation Sindoor saw the first large-scale tri-service deployment of drones, indigenous precision munitions, and surveillance assets. Armed UAVs and loitering munitions played a central role in destroying infrastructure used by terror groups, including LeT, JeM, and Hizbul Mujahideen.
Counter-Drone Measures Gaining Parallel Focus
Alongside drone proliferation, the Indian Army is also ramping up its counter-drone capabilities to defend against similar threats from adversaries. Artillery and air defence units are being equipped with jammers, detection systems, and hard-kill solutions to neutralise hostile drones in combat zones.
This dual emphasis, expanding drone capabilities while simultaneously strengthening counter-drone systems, is central to the Army’s evolving approach to multi-domain operations.
ARTRAC and MoD Back Drone-Centric Force Structure
Earlier this year, the Army Training Command (ARTRAC) released a roadmap stating that every soldier will be trained in drone operation by 2027. The Defence Ministry has strongly backed the initiative, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh calling the transformation “a game changer” for the future of the Indian Army.
Team BharatShakti
Dr Ravi Shankar has over two decades of experience in communications, print journalism, electronic media, documentary film making and new media.
He makes regular appearances on national television news channels as a commentator and analyst on current and political affairs. Apart from being an acknowledged Journalist, he has been a passionate newsroom manager bringing a wide range of journalistic experience from past associations with India’s leading media conglomerates (Times of India group and India Today group) and had led global news-gathering operations at world’s biggest multimedia news agency- ANI-Reuters. He has covered Parliament extensively over the past several years. Widely traveled, he has covered several summits as part of media delegation accompanying the Indian President, Vice President, Prime Minister, External Affairs Minister and Finance Minister across Asia, Africa and Europe.
