From Ukraine to Lebanon, how ‘invisible’ drones are redefining the rules of asymmetric warfare
Conflicts in Ukraine and Lebanon have demonstrated how cheap, commercially available drones have transformed the conduct of modern warfare at tactical, operational, and strategic levels
The Russia-Ukraine war is now widely described as the world's first large-scale "drone war," with thousands of FPV (First Person View) drones and autonomous ground robots deployed along the front
As of early 2026, AI-led autonomous drone swarms — capable of coordinated attacks without continuous human control — are increasingly operational in Ukraine
In Lebanon, drone strikes (including by non-state actors) demonstrated that sophisticated air-defence systems can be saturated by large numbers of inexpensive drones
India has responded with a comprehensive drone policy framework: Drone Rules 2021, PLI (Production Linked Incentive) scheme for drone manufacturing, and PLI 2.0 under consideration with a budgetary outlay of over ₹1,000 crore
The Defence Ministry has placed drones on India's Positive Indigenisation List, restricting imports to encourage domestic manufacturing
Drone Technology: Types and Military Applications
An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), commonly called a drone, is an aircraft operated without a human pilot onboard. In military contexts, drones range from small tactical reconnaissance units to large armed platforms capable of precision strikes.
Key Details
- FPV drones (First Person View): Small, cheap, guided in real time by a pilot wearing video goggles; used extensively in Ukraine for precision strikes on armour and personnel
- Loitering Munitions ("kamikaze drones"): Fly to a target area, loiter, then strike — examples include Harop (Israel, used by India), Shahed-136 (Iran, used by Russia in Ukraine)
- Drone swarms: Large numbers of networked drones acting in a coordinated, potentially autonomous manner to overwhelm enemy defenses; AI enables distributed targeting and coordination
- Counter-drone systems (C-UAS): Electronic jamming, laser systems (directed energy weapons), kinetic interceptors; challenge is cost asymmetry — a drone costing ₹5 lakh can be defeated only by a missile costing ₹5 crore
- The Ukraine conflict is the most drone-intensive war in history — over 1 million drones were produced and deployed by both sides in 2024 alone
The strategic lesson is that air superiority can now be challenged by large numbers of cheap autonomous platforms, fundamentally altering the cost calculus of warfare.
India's Drone Policy Framework
India has developed a structured policy framework for the civilian and defence drone ecosystem, moving from near-total import dependency to a push for domestic manufacturing.
Key Details
- Drone Rules 2021 (effective 25 August 2021): Liberalised India's drone regulatory regime; based on "trust, self-certification, and non-intrusive monitoring"; classification by weight (Nano, Micro, Small, Medium, Large); introduced Digital Sky Platform (single-window permissions); green/yellow/red airspace zones
- PLI Scheme for Drones (2021–22): ₹120 crore incentive scheme to boost domestic drone and drone-component manufacturing; allocated under Ministry of Civil Aviation
- PLI 2.0 (under finalisation, 2026): Expanded to cover allied services (drone leasing, UAS software); budgetary allocation of $234 million (₹~2,000 crore) for three years (2025–2028)
- Positive Indigenisation List: Drones placed on the Defence Ministry's list restricting imports to promote Make-in-India in defence manufacturing
- Digital Sky Platform: Single-window airspace clearance system; real-time air traffic management for drones
- NPNT (No Permission, No Takeoff): Technology mandate — drones cannot take off without digital clearance; being phased in
The Ukraine conflict validates India's strategic rationale for domestic drone production — in a high-intensity conflict, import-dependent countries can face supply chain disruptions for critical military hardware.
Positive Indigenisation List and Defence Self-Reliance
The Positive Indigenisation List (PIL) is a policy tool under which specific defence items can only be procured from Indian manufacturers (from domestic industry), with imports banned after a specified date.
Key Details
- PIL is implemented by the Department of Military Affairs (DMA), created in 2019 as part of India's defence reform
- Multiple tranches of the PIL have been released since 2020, covering hundreds of items including artillery, helicopters, frigates, and now drones
- Goal: Reduce India's defence import bill (India is historically one of the world's top 5 arms importers) and build an export-capable defence manufacturing base
- Target under the Defence Production and Export Promotion Policy 2020: Defence production turnover of ₹1.75 lakh crore and exports of ₹35,000 crore by 2025
- iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence): Scheme to fund startups and MSMEs developing defence technologies including drone sub-systems
Drone warfare lessons from Ukraine underscore that a country reliant on imported drones faces a critical vulnerability; India's indigenisation drive is now acquiring acute strategic urgency.
Internal Security Dimensions of Drone Threats
Beyond conventional warfare, drones pose significant internal security challenges for India, including smuggling, surveillance, and terrorist use.
Key Details
- Cross-border drone intrusions have been documented on India's western border (Punjab, Rajasthan) — used to drop drugs and weapons
- In 2021, a drone attack on the Jammu Air Force Station became India's first recorded drone-based terrorist attack on a military installation
- National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), intelligence agencies, and armed forces operate across jurisdictions to counter drone threats
- Counter-drone systems are being deployed at sensitive installations; the DRDO has developed the D4 (Drone Detect, Deter, Destroy) counter-drone system
The proliferation of cheap commercial drones in conflict zones directly increases the risk of non-state actors deploying them for terrorism in India — making drone governance (both manufacturing policy and counter-drone law) a dual civilian-military challenge.
- Drone Rules 2021: Effective 25 August 2021 (Ministry of Civil Aviation)
- PLI Scheme (Drones): ₹120 crore; Ministry of Civil Aviation; for drones and drone components
- PLI 2.0 (Drones): $234 million (~₹2,000 crore) allocation, 2025–2028
- Digital Sky Platform: Single-window drone air traffic clearance (NPNT mandate)
- Positive Indigenisation List: Drones restricted from import post specified dates; under DMA
- Drone classification (Drone Rules 2021): Nano (<250g), Micro (250g–2kg), Small (2–25kg), Medium (25–150kg), Large (>150kg)
- Jammu Air Force Station drone attack: June 2021 (India's first recorded drone-based terror attack on a military installation)
- DRDO counter-drone system: D4 (Drone Detect, Deter, Destroy)
- iDEX: Startups/MSME defence innovation programme (under DMA)
- Defence export target (DPEPP 2020): ₹35,000 crore by 2025
- India defence production turnover target (DPEPP 2020): ₹1.75 lakh crore by 2025
- Ukraine drone production (2024 estimate): Over 1 million drones by both sides