The Indian Air Force (IAF) has stepped up its engagement with India’s defence industry to accelerate the development of indigenous unmanned and autonomous systems, outlining its long-term operational requirements and technological priorities at an industry outreach programme held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, on October 21.
The programme was chaired by Air Marshal Premkumar K, VM, VSM, Director General (Weapon Systems), Air Headquarters, and witnessed participation from around 100 representatives of drone manufacturers, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), startups and associated industry partners.
The initiative builds on the IAF Unmanned and Autonomous Systems Roadmap, unveiled during IAF Dronathon 2026 at Pokhran on September 14. During the programme, the IAF briefed industry stakeholders on its future capability requirements and distributed copies of the roadmap booklet to facilitate a better understanding of the operational demands and technological priorities in this rapidly evolving domain.
Recognising the growing significance of unmanned technologies in modern warfare, the roadmap envisages the development of a layered and networked family of unmanned systems designed to complement existing and future manned platforms. The focus is on building operationally relevant, reliable and resilient indigenous capabilities to strengthen the IAF’s preparedness for emerging challenges in the air domain.
Aatmanirbharta in unmanned systems was underscored as an operational necessity rather than merely a technological aspiration. The programme highlighted the need to develop critical indigenous technologies, including propulsion systems, autonomous software, resilient navigation solutions and standardised interfaces. Strengthening these capabilities is essential to reduce dependence on external sources and build a robust domestic defence manufacturing ecosystem.
The IAF’s engagement with industry, MSMEs, startups and academia is aimed at accelerating innovation, promoting collaborative research and development, and translating emerging technologies into credible operational capabilities.
Through sustained industry collaboration, the IAF seeks to strengthen India’s indigenous unmanned systems ecosystem and advance the national objective of Aatmanirbharta in defence technology.
