The proliferation of Drone deployments in Indian Subcontinent
India’s Drone Capabilities and has been rapidly developing its drone capabilities in recent years to enhance its military and security operations. Some key developments include:
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is expected to place orders for the indigenous TAPAS-BH-201 drone within the next 2-5 years as it enters its final development phase.1 The IAF is also slated to acquire the DRDO’s Ghatak stealth UCAV within 10-15 years, with the SWIFT prototype already conducting its first flight.
Garuda Aerospace has successfully mapped over 7,000 villages in Uttar Pradesh using drones under the Svamitva land digitization scheme1 This demonstrates India’s growing expertise in large-scale drone deployments for civilian applications.
RattanIndia Enterprises has launched the ‘Defender’ drone, an indigenously developed system capable of tracking and neutralizing rogue drones. This solution aims to provide the Indian defense establishment with a first-of-its-kind capability to mitigate unauthorized drone activity.
Pakistan’s Drone Capabilities and Deployments
Pakistan has also been actively developing its drone program, though details are more limited in the public domain: Pakistan operates a few electronic warfare (EW) platforms, but information about them is scarce.
It is estimated that Pakistan has a total of 3 American-made EW systems. The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has been acquiring Chinese-made drones, including the Wing Loong II and CH-4 models, to bolster its surveillance and strike capabilities.
In 2020, the Algerian military became the first customer for China’s new HJ-12 shoulder-mounted anti-drone system, indicating potential interest from Pakistan as well. China’s Drone Capabilities and Deployments
China has been rapidly expanding its drone capabilities and using them for both military and civilian applications: From 2002 to 2019, China conducted 13 humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR) missions in the Indo-Pacific region, compared to 29 missions by the United States.
China’s 2019 defense white paper outlined its intention to create an expeditionary combat force capable of “far seas protection” and “strategic projection”, including participation in global HA/DR missions. has been actively exporting its drone technology, with Algeria being an early customer for systems like the C28A corvette and HJ-12 anti-drone weapon.
India, Pakistan, and China are all actively developing and deploying drone capabilities to enhance their military, security, and civilian applications. While India and China have been more transparent about their drone programs, Pakistan’s capabilities remain more opaque in the public domain.
