By N. C. Bipindra
New Delhi: The Indian Army’s imminent INR 2,000-crore push to induct indigenous loitering munitions marks a decisive shift in how India plans to fight future wars, moving away from platform-centric warfare towards precision, persistence, and autonomy on the battlefield.
This evolution reflects lessons drawn from recent conflicts in Ukraine, Nagorno-Karabakh, and the Middle East, where loitering munitions have repeatedly neutralised high-value targets at a fraction of the cost of conventional firepower.
At the core of this transformation is the Army’s growing emphasis on deep-strike capability without escalation dominance.
Loitering munitions, often referred to as “kamikaze drones,” allow commanders to strike enemy radars, artillery positions, logistics hubs, and command nodes deep across the border without risking pilots or deploying expensive missiles.
The Army’s requirement for systems capable of operating under heavy jamming and GPS spoofing highlights its expectation of fighting in contested electromagnetic environments, particularly against technologically sophisticated adversaries like China and Pakistan.
Strategically, this marks a move from reactive deterrence to proactive battlefield shaping.
Earlier, precision deep strikes relied heavily on airpower or long-range artillery, both of which are limited by availability, cost, and escalation risks.
Loitering munitions bridge the gap between intelligence, surveillance, and strike, enabling real-time decision-making and target engagement at the tactical and operational levels. A platoon or battalion commander can now hold enemy assets at risk well beyond the immediate frontline.
Organisationally, the Army’s doctrine is also evolving. Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi’s announcement of specialised drone units and the “Eagle on Every Arm” concept underscores a decentralisation of combat power.
Instead of concentrating advanced capabilities at higher headquarters, the Army is pushing drone and loitering munition assets down to lower formations, fundamentally altering command-and-control dynamics and accelerating the kill chain.
The mega procurement, under the fast-track procedure, is expected to be initiated shortly. This marks a decisive shift towards self-reliance in high-end unmanned strike systems.
The Army would conduct trials, shortlist vendors, and place orders within months, instead of the traditional acquisition cycle that can stretch up to two years.
The acquisition programme could expand significantly in the coming years as the Army plans to equip multiple units with both shallow- and deep-strike loitering munitions for cross-border operations.
The decision to source these systems indigenously further reinforces India’s shift towards sustained warfighting readiness.
The focus on indigenous platforms is aimed at reducing dependence on foreign suppliers while simultaneously creating a scalable domestic industrial ecosystem capable of surge production during conflict.
Once awarded, the contract is expected to catalyse large-scale manufacturing of loitering munitions within India.
Major Indian defence firms already active in this domain, including Tata Advanced Systems, Adani Defence, Solar Defence and Aerospace Ltd, and Newspace Research and Technologies, are expected to compete aggressively. Other likely bidders include Nibe Defence, Avision, and SMPP.
By avoiding foreign dependence, the Army ensures assured availability during prolonged conflicts while simultaneously nurturing a domestic industrial ecosystem capable of rapid scale-up.
The planned 60:40 split of the contract between two Indian vendors — the lowest bids — in the tender also reflects a deliberate strategy to prevent monopolies, encourage competition, and ensure redundancy during wartime.
Operationally, loitering munitions enhance India’s options below the threshold of full-scale war.
They provide credible punitive strike capability while maintaining plausible deniability and controlled escalation—an increasingly important factor in South Asia’s nuclearised environment.
This makes them ideal tools for counter-terror operations, border skirmishes, and limited conflicts along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and Line of Control (LoC).
In essence, the Indian Army’s growing focus on loitering munitions signals a doctrinal pivot towards technology-driven, networked, and attrition-efficient warfare.
As these systems proliferate across formations, India’s land warfare strategy is being reshaped, less reliant on mass and manoeuvre, and increasingly defined by precision, persistence, and information dominance.
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