Drones are no more eyes in the sky, they are claws in the sky, says IAF Chief

At a defence seminar focused on Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and Counter-UAS capabilities, the Chief of Air Staff articulated a fundamental shift in how Ind...

What Happened

At a defence seminar focused on Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and Counter-UAS capabilities, the Chief of Air Staff articulated a fundamental shift in how India's armed forces conceptualise drone warfare: "Drones are no more eyes in the sky, they are claws in the sky."
The statement reflected lessons absorbed from Operation Sindoor (May 2025) and global conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, where armed drones and loitering munitions fundamentally changed battlefield dynamics.
The Air Force Chief called for complete domain awareness in modern aerial threats and urged "total coordination" among the three services — Army, Navy, and Air Force — all of which now operate unmanned systems in the same airspace.
The remarks came in the context of India's ongoing large-scale military drone transformation, accelerated by the Indian Army's Technology Roadmap for Unmanned Aerial Systems and Loitering Munitions, released on April 6, 2026.
Official sources emphasised that India is restructuring its defence doctrine around the principle of mass, affordability, and networked intelligence — shifting from manpower-intensive postures to drone-centric battlefield strategies.
The Indian Army has set a target for every military command to manufacture approximately 5,000 drones, creating distributed, terrain-specific drone fleets across all commands.
Targets include making every soldier a drone operator by 2027.

Static Topic Bridges

Drone Warfare: Global Evolution and the Shift to Strike Capability

Military drones (UAVs — Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) were initially developed primarily for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) roles. They offered persistent, risk-free observation of enemy positions. The shift to armed drones began with the United States deploying Predator and Reaper drones in post-2001 conflicts, carrying Hellfire missiles.

The Ukraine-Russia conflict (2022 onwards) demonstrated a further, more radical evolution: low-cost commercial and semi-commercial drones — costing thousands rather than millions of dollars — carrying small munitions were used by both sides to strike armour, artillery, logistics, and command posts. Bayraktar TB2 drones (Turkey) proved decisive in early phases. FPV (First Person View) kamikaze drones became mass attrition weapons. This democratisation of lethal aerial strike fundamentally altered the cost-exchange ratio in warfare.

ISR Drones: Surveillance-only; examples include Heron (Israel, used by India), ScanEagle (US).
Armed MALE Drones: Medium Altitude Long Endurance; multi-hour missions with precision strike. MQ-9 Reaper (US), Bayraktar TB2 (Turkey), Wing Loong (China).
Loitering Munitions (Kamikaze Drones): Circle target area, dive on detection; examples include Switchblade (US), Harop (Israel), Nagastra-1 (India).
Counter-UAS: Hard-kill (interception), soft-kill (jamming, spoofing), kinetic (drone-on-drone). India's ULPGM-V3 has a dedicated Air-to-Air mode for counter-drone missions.
Drone swarms: Coordinated, AI-guided multiple drone attacks overwhelming point defences — India is actively developing swarm capabilities.

Connection to this news: The remark that drones are now "claws in the sky" precisely captures this doctrinal shift from passive surveillance to active kinetic engagement — and signals that India's armed forces have operationally absorbed this lesson.

India's Drone Policy and Manufacturing Ecosystem

India has moved rapidly to build a domestic drone manufacturing sector and integrate drones into military doctrine. Key policy milestones include:

The Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for drones was approved in September 2021 with an outlay of ₹120 crore over three years, targeting domestic drone and drone component manufacturers. The New Drone Rules, 2021 replaced the more restrictive UAS Rules and created a digital sky platform for regulatory compliance.

The iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence) and ADITI (Acing Development of Innovative Technologies with iDEX) programmes have channelled funding to drone startups. In September 2025, the GST Council reduced GST on drones from 18–28% to a uniform 5%, making military-grade drones, high-performance batteries, and simulators tax-exempt.

India has 600+ drone startups that have collectively raised over $500 million.
The Indian Army's Technology Roadmap for UAS (April 6, 2026) provides long-term visibility on requirements for industry, MSMEs, academia, and research institutions.
ADITI scheme outlay: ₹750 crore (2023–24 to 2025–26); grants up to ₹25 crore per project for deep-tech defence innovations.
Nagastra-1 (Solar Industries): First indigenously manufactured loitering munition cleared for Indian Army induction.
MALE drone co-production: Larsen & Toubro and General Atomics (US) have agreed on co-production of MALE drones in India — a breakthrough for a capability India has struggled to develop organically.
Defence procurement policy mandates a progressive increase in the domestic defence production target to ₹1.75 lakh crore by 2025.

Connection to this news: The Army Chief's doctrinal statement is backed by concrete policy — the PLI for drones, ADITI funding, the UAS Technology Roadmap, and co-production arrangements are all translating the "claws in the sky" vision into procurement reality.

MALE Drones and India's Capability Requirements

Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) drones operate at altitudes of 10,000–30,000 feet with endurance of 12–40 hours. They are the backbone of persistent armed surveillance and precision strike capability for major military powers. India has historically been dependent on imported platforms:

Heron (IAI Israel): India operates Heron I and Heron TP (armed variant) for ISR along northern and western borders.
MQ-9B SeaGuardian / SkyGuardian (General Atomics, US): India signed a deal in 2023–24 for 31 MQ-9B drones (16 for the Navy, 8 each for Army and Air Force) — a major step in India's MALE armed drone capability.
Rustom-2 / TAPAS (DRDO): India's indigenous MALE drone under development; has faced multiple delays but completed several test milestones.
L&T–General Atomics co-production: The most significant recent development, aiming to indigenise MALE drone manufacturing within India.

Specifications of MALE class: Altitude 10,000–30,000 ft; endurance 12–40 hours; payload 100–1,700 kg (varies by platform).
Difference from tactical UAVs: MALE drones operate at theatre-level, covering vast areas; tactical UAVs (like those that carry ULPGM-V3) operate at battalion/brigade level.
Counter-MALE capability: A key gap India is addressing — MALE drones are vulnerable to modern air defence systems, making decoy and standoff capabilities essential.

Connection to this news: The doctrinal shift to drones as "claws" is most powerful when applied to armed MALE platforms — persistent, far-reaching, precision strike assets. India's push for MQ-9B induction and indigenous MALE co-production fills this strategic gap.

Operation Sindoor and Drone Doctrine Lessons

Operation Sindoor (May 2025) was a significant Indian military operation that provided the armed forces real-world validation of drone capabilities and limitations in a near-peer threat environment. Without detailing classified operational specifics, official sources indicate the operation accelerated several doctrinal shifts:

Confirmation that armed drones provide decisive advantages in precision strike at low risk to human operators.
Recognition that adversary drone and counter-drone capabilities have matured, requiring India to invest simultaneously in offensive drone capabilities and layered counter-UAS systems.
Understanding that drone swarms and loitering munitions can overwhelm point air defences, requiring network-centric counter-UAS responses.
Emphasis on joint coordination — Army, Navy, and Air Force operating drones in shared airspace — which the Air Force Chief specifically highlighted as requiring "total coordination."

Connection to this news: Operation Sindoor is the direct experiential trigger for the doctrinal language of "claws in the sky" — the armed forces' public articulation that reconnaissance-only thinking about drones is obsolete.

Key Facts & Data

Doctrinal statement: "Drones are no more eyes in the sky, they are claws in the sky" — Chief of Air Staff, at UAS and Counter-UAS defence seminar, May 2026
Trigger: Lessons from Operation Sindoor (May 2025) and global drone warfare evolution
Indian Army UAS Technology Roadmap: Released April 6, 2026; guides industry, academia, startups on long-term drone requirements
Army drone production target: ~5,000 drones per command; every soldier a drone operator by 2027
MQ-9B deal: 31 drones (16 Navy, 8 Army, 8 Air Force) procured from General Atomics (US)
L&T–General Atomics: Co-production agreement for MALE drones in India
ADITI scheme: ₹750 crore (2023–26); up to ₹25 crore per deep-tech defence project
GST on drones (from Sept 2025): Reduced to uniform 5%; military drones, batteries, simulators tax-exempt
iDEX contracts (early 2025): 430 contracts worth ₹2,400+ crore
India drone startups: 600+; $500 million+ funding raised
Nagastra-1: First indigenous loitering munition; cleared for Army induction (Solar Industries)
ULPGM-V3: UAV-launched precision guided missile; Air-to-Air mode adds counter-drone capability (BDL + Adani Defence)
Rustom-2 / TAPAS: India's indigenous MALE drone under DRDO development