With unmanned systems dominating modern warfare, India needs to scale up production of these systems as a multi-domain threat environment persists around the country.
Ukraine, which has mastered the art of exploiting different formats of unmanned systems technology to sustain its war against the military might of Russia, reportedly produces over 20,000 drones per day and is aiming to take the production to 7 million this year.
Similarly, Russia reportedly produces between 1,500 to 2,500 drones per day, while the number is believed to be much more in China, which does not share information about military affairs. Iran, too, demonstrated its unmanned platform capability, with its Shaheed kamikaze drones drawing global appreciation, in the war with the US and Israel. They, as per international reports, have a continuous supply chain and an inventory of 10,000 different types of drones.
In India, companies are stepping up their production capabilities to meet the requirements of this shift in warfare.
IG Defence, whose drones were used during Operation Sindoor, said it is accelerating its preparedness for a future defined not just by firepower, but by scale, speed, and technological adaptability, as it rolls out 200 First-Person View (FPV) drones per day.
This move, the company said, aligns with the operational realities of high-volume, technology-driven warfare.
Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi recently emphasised the need for 8,000–10,000 UAVs per corps, including FPV units, to effectively dominate the contested airspace along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and the Line of Control (LoC) -- the borders with China and Pakistan, respectively.
Former Army Chief General M.M. Naravane earlier, too, said future conflicts could require up to 40,000 drones a month.
Operation Sindoor was India’s first war featuring drones; Pakistan used hundreds of cheap drones for ISR and kamikaze roles.
India responded both kinetically as well as non-kinetically with precision, purpose and in an integrated manner.
IG Defence said its FPV kamikaze drones were officially appreciated by the government, along with other indigenous systems used during the four-day escalation, which began on May 7 following the Pahalgam terror strike by Pakistan sponsored terrorists.
The company has supplied thousands of FPV kamikaze drones to the Indian Army over the past financial year, supporting the armed forces’ growing emphasis on indigenous and rapidly deployable solutions.
Unlike conventional defence systems that require long development cycles and significant capital investment, FPV kamikaze drones represent a new category of agile, cost-effective battlefield tools.
Their growing prominence in global conflicts has demonstrated how low-cost, high-impact systems, including swarm drones and loitering munitions, are reshaping tactical engagements.
Published on May 8, 2026