Context: Ukraine's Op Spider's Web and recent India-Pakistan military hostilities during Op Sindoor underlines the rising threat of Drone warfare.
Relevance of the topic:
Prelims: Defence technologies: UAVs, Swarm Drones, Directed Energy Weapons, Electronic Warfare
Mains: Drone warfare- evolution, threat, counter measures.
According to Fortune Business Insights, the global military drone market was valued at $14.14 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $47.16 billion by 2032, reflecting the rapid militarisation of drone technology.
Evolution of Drone Warfare
- While unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) date back to World War II, their strategic utility surged post-1991 Gulf War.
- In a watershed moment in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijan’s drones overwhelmed Armenian defences. Since then, drones have redefined warfare: from Houthi strikes on Saudi oil sites and Hamas’s use in Gaza.
- Recently, in Ukraine's bold Operation Spider’s Web in 2025, over 100 First-person view (FPV) drones hit deep into Russia, damaging 40+ aircraft and causing $7 billion in losses. In retaliation, Russia launched the world’s biggest drone attack till date, with almost 500 drones hitting Ukraine overnight.
This evolution has led to the rise of swarm drones, which work together in large numbers to overwhelm enemy defences.
Swarm Drones
- Swarm drones are autonomous or semi-autonomous UAVs that operate in coordinated groups, much like swarms of birds or fish. They communicate via wireless networks and adjust in real time to achieve shared objectives.
- Swarms are more resilient than traditional drones due to in-built redundancy, i.e., even if one drone is intercepted, others can continue on the mission.
- Drone swarms are thus used to saturate air defences, gather intelligence, and attack high-value targets.
Countries are developing advanced AI-driven swarm drones that can make real-time decisions, adapt tactics mid-mission, and coordinate complex manoeuvres- set to play a key role in future combined arms warfare alongside infantry, armour, and cyber units.
What Makes Drone Swarms a Strategic Threat?
- Low Cost, High Impact: A $500-$1,000 drone can damage a $200 million aircraft.
- Difficult to intercept due to their small size, and ability to overwhelm defences- cluttering radars, exhausting ammunition, and slipping through even robust air defence systems.
- High Agility and Mobility: Swarm drone attacks can be launched anytime, anywhere even from a truck near an airbase, as seen in Op Spider’s Web. In a country like India, with porous borders and diverse populations, this threat is both real and pressing.
Traditional military bases, aircrafts, and infrastructure, previously considered secure, are now vulnerable to drone attacks and demand new defence strategies.
Countering Drone Threats
- Detection of Drones: Defence against drones begins with detection. Modern systems employ a combination of: AESA radars; Electro-optical and infrared sensors; Acoustic detectors; AI-powered fusion systems
- Neutralisation of Drones: Once detected, drones can be neutralised by kinetic means such as:
- Missiles and anti-aircraft guns, though these are expensive and less effective against swarms.
- Automated gun systems like C-RAM and Phalanx, which autonomously track and fire at targets, offer a more practical solution.
Some cost-effective alternatives include:
- Directed Energy Weapons (DEWs): Lasers and microwave pulses that disable drones by damaging sensors or frying electronics.
- Electronic Warfare (EW): Jamming GPS signals or communication links.
- Spoofing: Misleading drones about their location or issuing false commands.
- Cyber Attacks: Taking control of drones and crashing them by exploiting software vulnerabilities.
- Interceptor drones & nets: For close-range neutralisation, protecting critical assets.
The ideal defence is a layered system, integrating multiple modes of interception for redundancy and cost-efficiency purposes. Examples include Israel’s Iron Dome and the US’s Directed Energy M-SHORAD.
India’s Counter-Drone Infrastructure:
Since 2020, India has ramped up its counter-drone infrastructure, deploying a layered defence that blends indigenous technology, EW, and air defence systems. Key systems include:
- Akashteer Air Defence Control System : Developed by Bharat Electronics Ltd, it integrates with the Indian Air Force’s integrated command network for real-time tracking.
- Bhargavastra : Solar Defence and Aerospace Ltd’s weapon system fires 64 micro-rockets in salvos to eliminate drone swarms.
- DRDO’s Anti-Drone System: It offers 360-degree radar coverage, with both jamming (soft kill) and laser (hard kill) capabilities. Drones can be detected up to 4 km away, and neutralised within a 1 km radius.
- Indrajaal: An AI-powered grid from a Hyderabad startup that combines jammers, spoofers, and intelligence to protect areas up to 4,000 sq km. Already deployed at naval sites in Gujarat and Karnataka.
During the May 2025 swarm attacks, the IAF activated its Integrated Counter-UAS Grid, alongside conventional radars, guns, and missiles, neutralising attempted strikes on 15 military bases and several urban targets.
Drone warfare has ushered in a new age of asymmetric, AI-driven conflict and transformed the dynamics of the battlefield. As CDS General Chauhan aptly stated- We are at a cusp where war may be between humans and machines- and tomorrow, between machines themselves.