Drone Warfare in the 21st Century – India’s Evolving Defense Strategy : UPSC Editorial Analysis

Despite advancements in air defence and surveillance technology, countries like India face growing challenges in countering drone threats—especially from low-cost UAVs used by both state and non-state actors.

Key Challenges:

1. Detection Difficulty

• Small and low-flying drones (especially FPV drones) often evade traditional radar systems.

• Many drones are made of plastic or carbon fiber, making them hard to detect using standard air defence infrastructure.

2. Cost Asymmetry

• Adversaries use swarms of cheap drones, while defending against them often requires expensive missiles or anti-air systems.

• This creates a strategic disadvantage where UAV threats can overwhelm even well-equipped forces.

• This “$1,000-versus-$200-million” problem means India must invest in cost-effective countermeasures (lasers, nets, electronic warfare) rather than expensive missiles.

• As ex-Air Marshal Anil Chopra notes, defeating swarms requires integrating intelligence, local forces, and cyber defenses

3. Technology Gaps

•  AI-enabled drones can coordinate in real-time, making counter-UAV operations more complex.

• Nations still lag in developing effective anti-drone technology such as directed-energy weapons or jammers that are both mobile and scalable.

4. Legal and Sovereignty Issues

• Cross-border drone intrusions raise questions about territorial sovereignty and retaliation norms under international law.

• Without a strong legal framework, countries struggle to act decisively against unmanned threats.

5. Border Security Pressure

• Drones near sensitive borders (e.g., Indo-Pak, Indo-China) add stress to border management systems.

• Constant drone sightings create panic in civilian areas and stretch surveillance resources thin.