The Indian Army is ramping up its operational readiness through a series of intensive exercises across multiple commands, focusing on air defence and drone warfare.
These drills come against the backdrop of lessons from the West Asia conflict, where drones and hybrid aerial threats have redefined battlefields. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has urged the forces to absorb these hard-earned insights swiftly.
Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi personally oversaw the annual Integrated Air Defence Firepower exercise at the Army Air Defence College in Gopalpur on Saturday. The event highlighted the seamless integration of diverse air defence systems in a networked setup. It rigorously tested the full detection-to-engagement cycle against emerging hybrid threats, including low-flying drones and missiles.
Visuals from Gopalpur featured the Indo-Israeli Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MRSAM) system, a joint venture between India’s DRDO and Israel’s Rafael, capable of engaging targets at ranges up to 70 km across varied altitudes. DRDO’s D4 counter-unmanned aerial system (counter-UAS) was also prominent, designed to neutralise small drones using a mix of electronic warfare, kinetic interceptors, and directed energy.
Legacy systems shone too: the Soviet-era Zu-23 twin-barrelled 23mm autocannon and L-70 40mm guns provided short-range punch against low-level threats. The radar-guided ZSU-23-4 Schilka, a self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicle, demonstrated rapid tracking and fire against fast-movers. Decoys simulated enemy targets, stressing the systems under realistic, cluttered conditions.
A key emphasis lay not on standalone platforms but on their networked operation. Sensors fed data into a central command grid for quicker target acquisition across short, medium, and long ranges. This validates India’s push towards a layered, sensor-fused air defence architecture, crucial along volatile borders with Pakistan and China.
In Udhampur, Northern Army Commander Lieutenant General Pratik Sharma reinforced the primacy of ground dominance while acknowledging technological shifts. He noted that warfare now integrates society, industry, and technology with diplomacy, deterrence, and force. Drones, decision-support weapons, electronic warfare, and counter-systems are accelerating combat tempos.
Western Command, guarding the Pakistan frontier, conducted a 72-hour reconnaissance exercise with elements of its II Strike Corps on Sunday. Mechanised recce troops, armed with UAVs and advanced surveillance gear, practised the pre-assault phase. They mapped enemy positions ahead of armoured advances, exploiting gaps to shape the battlespace.
Southern Command’s fortnight-long ‘Amogh Jwala’ exercise earlier this month fielded the Army’s first dedicated ‘Shaurya’ squadron. These units embed UAV-led surveillance and precision strikes into armoured operations. Plans call for one such squadron per operational command initially, scaling to all 63 armoured regiments.
Unmanned systems are permeating all combat arms. Infantry ‘Ashni’ platoons, raised last year, wield surveillance UAVs and loitering munitions for tactical intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), and strikes. Artillery’s ‘Divyastra’ batteries fuse UAV targeting with guns to slash engagement times under a cost-effective ‘save and raise’ model.
Artillery has also stood up ‘Shaktibaan’ regiments for long-range precision via swarm drones, remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS), and loitering munitions. This institutionalisation reflects the Army’s doctrinal pivot, spurred by conflicts like Nagorno-Karabakh and Ukraine, where cheap drones overwhelmed traditional defences.
These exercises underscore India’s drive for indigenous capability amid border tensions. With China deploying advanced UAVs along the LAC and Pakistan honing drone swarms, layered air defence and counter-UAS form non-negotiable pillars. Gen Dwivedi’s presence signals high command priority on rapid integration.
Procurement accelerates too: MRSAM deliveries continue, while DRDO fast-tracks D4 and next-gen systems like the Very Short-Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS). Private sector involvement, bolsters production. The Army aims for full-spectrum dominance in drone-infested skies.
Agencies
