"Drones Becoming Weapon Of Choice For...": Air Force Chief To NDTV

Drones are becoming the weapon of choice for state and non-state actors, Air Chief Marshal VR Choudhary told NDTV in an exclusive interview.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is looking at using drones not only for reconnaissance, but also for strike roles, the Air Chief Marshal said.

"Drones are now becoming a weapon of choice of both state and non-state actors. And we also realised the potential of inducting drones in large numbers, not only for recce and surveillance, which were the traditional roles for which we use them, but also for certain offensive missions," Air Chief Marshal Choudhary told NDTV.

With drones becoming mainstream in offensive roles, air-defence capabilities will also have to be improved, he said. The war in Ukraine has shown the effectiveness of drones, and how the much cheaper hardware can destroy larger, more expensive targets.

"... While the proliferation of drones takes place in the subcontinent, we have a plan to boost our air defence capabilities because now we have a huge spectrum of threats, starting from small drones to hypersonic weapons. So the air defence network and capabilities need to be strengthened in equal measure," Air Chief Marshal Choudhary said.

The Air Chief Marshal briefly explained the process that India has been following in developing drones of all types, from basic to complex machines, involving the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and small private firms.

He pointed to the "Mehar Baba Competition" by the IAF for Indian start-ups to develop a swarm drone-based system.

"We got astonishing results from the Mehar Baba Competition, and incubated many small firms. Many small industries that started making drones in swarms have been able to meet the requirements that we had projected at that time," Air Chief Marshal Choudhary said.

"I think this industry is really galloping within our country, and most of it is in the private sector and small scale, and we encourage all of them to come up with their ideas and see how we can implement them in our broader operational plans," he said.

"For bigger platforms that can fly high and have long endurance, we are collaborating with other industries to be able to make a long-term plan for homegrown capability in this field. So the whole drone ecosystem is being supported and encouraged by the armed forces, particularly by the IAF," Air Chief Marshal Choudhary said.