Op Sindoor drone swarm was just a warning, threat could rise 10-fold: Defence experts

Experts at India Today Conclave South warned that the rapid shift to mass drone warfare, autonomous systems and space-based technologies could make future conflicts more complex.

In Short

• Drone swarms pose growing threat as adversaries get smarter
• India must develop, own critical defence technologies, experts argue
• Unmanned systems dominate modern warfare, 95% targeting by drones

The rapid evolution of drones, autonomous systems and space-based technologies is set to reshape future warfare, with the threat from drone swarms, witnessed during Operation Sindoor, likely to grow significantly as adversaries become more sophisticated, experts warned at the India Today Conclave South on Tuesday.

Speaking at a discussion on India's defence self-reliance, experts stressed the need for India to move beyond manufacturing towards developing and owning critical technologies.

Samir Joshi, CEO of Bengaluru-based Newspace Research and Technologies, said the drone swarm seen during Operation Sindoor was only a warning and the threat could increase tenfold.

"Defence technologies are shifting from a few expensive systems to cheaper, mass-deployable ones. During Operation Sindoor, one of the most significant aspects was the large number of drones coming across the border and how our systems were able to counter them. This could increase tenfold. The enemies are getting smarter and the deployment loops are becoming very advanced," Joshi said.

Pointing to the changing nature of warfare, Joshi cited the experience of the Ukraine conflict and the growing role of unmanned systems.

"95 per cent of targeting is done through drones. This is the kind of asymmetrics," he said.

Joshi said India was well placed to respond to the changing nature of warfare if it moved quickly and adopted the right approach.

"India is very favourably poised. If we play smart, we will catch up," he said.

D Seshagiri, Distinguished Scientist and Director of DRDO's Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL), highlighted the rapid evolution of unmanned systems, including UAVs and autonomous underwater vehicles.

"There is a 7th generation change in UAVs," Seshagiri said, adding that autonomous underwater vehicles were also evolving, with the noise they generate expected to reduce further.

"Drone detection and deterrence will play a critical role," he said.

Seshagiri also highlighted the limitations in the range of current detection systems and the impact this has on response time.

"Today we are struggling to get 80-100 km and reaction time is limited," he said, adding that airborne platforms would play a critical role.

VK Anandan, CTO and Senior Vice President of Astra Microwave Products Limited and CEO of Astra Space Technologies Private Limited, said the evolution of warfare was moving from ground systems to UAVs and increasingly towards space-based technologies.

"We were talking about ground, now we are talking about UAV and now it is showing to space. In future warfare, most of the controls are going to come from the space segment itself," Anandan said.

He added that the space economy was expected to grow exponentially over the next 5-10 years.

The discussion also underlined the need to move beyond "Make in India" towards "Invent in India" and "Own in India", with greater focus on indigenous intellectual property, critical technologies and supply chains.

- Ends