(MENAFN) India’s top military officer, General Upendra Dwivedi, recently conducted an inspection of drone systems during a troop review in Ambala, Haryana. During the visit on Monday, he received briefings on efforts to bolster combat readiness, incorporate cutting-edge technologies, and improve coordination among different agencies, according to reports.

Drones played a significant role in Operation Sindoor, a brief but intense conflict between India and Pakistan in May, during which Indian anti-drone systems reportedly intercepted over 300 incoming aircraft.

Historically dependent on imported unmanned aerial vehicles, India is now accelerating the domestic production of military drones. The Indian Navy has recently added Drishti-10 Starliner drones to its fleet, developed domestically by Adani Defense and Aerospace in collaboration with Israeli firm Elbit. Seen as India’s counterpart to the Hermes StarLiner, the system is said to be composed of approximately 70% locally produced components.

India’s Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), along with its Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), is pursuing a wide array of indigenous drone programs, including Abhyas, Ghatak, Rustom-1, TAPAS, Imperial Eagle, Kapothaka, Lakshya, Nishant, Golden Hawk, Pushpak, and Slybird. Several of these platforms have already moved into commercial production, according to reports.

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