{"id":77154,"date":"2026-06-16T20:36:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T15:06:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=77154"},"modified":"2026-06-16T20:45:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T15:15:09","slug":"drone-revolution-warfare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/16-06-2026\/drone-revolution-warfare","title":{"rendered":"Drone Revolution and Modern Warfare"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Defence<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The wars in Ukraine, Lebanon and West Asia have shown <strong>how drones have become central to modern warfare.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is Drone Warfare?&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Drone warfare refers to a <strong>mode of warfare employing unmanned or remotely controlled devices.\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Such drones have the capability of<strong> staying in the air, on land, at sea level, or underwater.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The drones may be operated by <strong>manual control,<\/strong> and others may<strong> utilise auto-pilot systems on their missions.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Remotely Piloted Aircraft System: <\/strong>It refers to a set of components that include <strong>the drone, its ground-based control system.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The US, UK, Israel, China, India, Russia, and Turkey, have produced combat drones, or <strong>UCAVs (Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles).<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>These are employed in<strong> targeted attacks,<\/strong> frequently in locations difficult to access by conventional forces.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>AI: The second stage of drone application <\/strong>is <strong>artificial intelligence<\/strong>. AI drones can navigate on their own, detect targets, and even operate in &#8220;swarm&#8221; groups.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Recent Use of Drones&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In the early years of the 21st century, most drone strikes were carried out by the <strong>US military <\/strong>in countries such as <strong>Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Somalia, Yemen, and Libya, <\/strong>using air-to-surface missiles against ground targets.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Drone warfare has since been adopted by countries like<strong> Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Iran,<\/strong> as well as by<strong> non-state actors <\/strong>such as the Houthis.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>India<\/strong>, too, has employed drones in recent operations, including the <strong>Operation Sindoor and retaliatory strikes against Pakistan.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Evolution of UCAVs<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>In the 1960s, British Commonwealth artillery regiments<\/strong> started developing drones for target identification and extending their range.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The past two decades saw the US set the trend world-wide with using drones for its<strong> counterterrorism action<\/strong> in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, and Yemen with precision attacks minimising personnel risks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>It was the Ukraine war that saw a turning point.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Russian and Ukrainian forces<\/strong> both used small drones on a massive scale for real-time intelligence and direct attacks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>By 2023,<\/strong> small drones had evolved to accommodate multiple payloads &#8211; from infrared detectors to electronic warfare equipment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Significance of Use of Drones in Warfare<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Targeted Strikes: <\/strong>Drones allow militaries to carry out highly targeted attacks, minimizing collateral damage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lower Risk to Personnel:<\/strong> Since drones are unmanned, they eliminate the risk to pilots and reduce the need for boots on the ground.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cost-Effectiveness:<\/strong> Drones are cheaper to manufacture, operate, and maintain compared to manned aircraft.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Real-Time Surveillance and Intelligence: <\/strong>Drones provide continuous, real-time imagery and intelligence gathering, essential for both offensive and defensive operations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Strategic Advantage in Asymmetric Warfare: <\/strong>Drones are especially useful against non-state actors and terrorist groups, who may not be reachable by conventional military means.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>India\u2019s Institutional and Strategic Response<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Integrated Drone Detection and Interdiction System (IDD&amp;IS) <\/strong>is developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation and Bharat Electronics Limited, provides a comprehensive counter-drone solution.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is capable of <strong>detecting drones at ranges of 5\u20138 km<\/strong>, <strong>jamming communication signals within 2\u20135 km<\/strong> and neutralising threats using laser-based directed energy weapons at close ranges.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Bhargavastra&#8221; Anti-Swarm System:<\/strong> Developed by Solar Defence and Aerospace Limited (SDAL), it is a <strong>low-cost, homegrown counter-drone system<\/strong> that uses micro-rockets to destroy drone swarms in hard-kill mode.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Indian Army has initiated large-scale procurement of <strong>surveillance and kamikaze drones<\/strong> to enhance both defensive and offensive capabilities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"9cd6ea\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"639\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-106-1024x639.png\" alt=\"drone warfare\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-77156\" style=\"--dominant-color: #9cd6ea; aspect-ratio:1.6025277968223686;width:533px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-106-1024x639.png 1024w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-106-300x187.png 300w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-106-768x480.png 768w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-106.png 1041w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Modern warfare demands a shift from <strong>platform-centric approaches to capability-based, technology-driven force<\/strong> planning. India must accelerate <strong>AI adoption, cyber resilience, space security<\/strong>, and jointness reforms.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sustained investment in human capital, defence innovation, and strategic partnerships will be crucial to maintain credible deterrence.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Adapting to the evolving character of warfare is essential for safeguarding India\u2019s <strong>sovereignty, stability, and strategic autonomy<\/strong> in a rapidly changing global order.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/international\/drone-revolution-and-modern-warfare-explained\/article71104697.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The wars in Ukraine, Lebanon and West Asia have shown how drones have become central to modern warfare. <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> What is Drone Warfare?\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Drone warfare refers to a mode of warfare employing unmanned or remotely controlled devices.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Such drones have the capability of staying in the air, on land, at sea level, or underwater.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The drones may be operated by manual control, and others may utilise auto-pilot systems on their missions. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/16-06-2026\/drone-revolution-warfare \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-77154","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77154","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77154"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77154\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77159,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77154\/revisions\/77159"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}