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List Of Drones Used By Indian Armed Forces: India’s armed forces have rapidly expanded and modernised their drone fleet over the past decade. The nation has recognised the critical role of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVS) in modern warfare. Indian drones now perform a wide variety of missions, including surveillance, reconnaissance, target acquisition, logistics, and increasingly, combat roles. To know more, here’s a list of major drones in indigenous and imported drones currently in service or under induction across the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force, according to the data of Defencexp.

List Of Drones Used By Indian Armed Forces: 

Drone Name Origin Type/Role Status/Numbers Key Features/Notes
IAI Heron Israel MALE ISR >30 in service All services, multiple variants
IAI Searcher II Israel Tactical ISR ~20 in service Army, Air Force
Harpy Israel Loitering Munition/SEAD Operational Anti-radiation drone, air defense suppression
MQ-9B SeaGuardian/SkyGuardian USA MALE ISR/Combat 8 on order Armed, maritime surveillance
DRDO Rustom Series (I, II/TAPAS) India MALE ISR/Combat Testing/Trials 350kg payload, 12hr endurance
DRDO Nishant India Tactical ISR Limited 4.5hr endurance, artillery correction
DRDO Netra India Mini UAV, ISR In service Urban ops, disaster relief
DRDO Abhyas India Target Drone In service High-speed expendable
DRDO Ghatak India UCAV (Combat) Under development Stealth, precision strike
DRDO Archer India MALE ISR/Combat Testing Weaponized, 300kg payload, 1,000km range
India-US Joint ALUAV India/US Target Drone Under development Co-developed, target practice
RUAV 200 India Rotary UAV In service Short-range, tactical ops
Adani Hermes 900/Drishti-10 India/Israel Reconnaissance 1 on order Hermes 900 derivative
Trinetra UAV India ISR In service Multi-role, Army use
HAL CATS Warrior India Combat Teaming (Loyal Wingman) In development AI-enabled, stealth, high payload
DRDO Ulka India Target Drone In service Air-launched, simulates enemy aircraft
DRDO Fluffy India Target Drone In service Training, target simulation
Swarm Drones (NIMBUS, BELUGA) India Swarm/Attack 75+ in service Autonomous, coordinated attack
Raphe mPhibr MR-20 India Cargo/Logistics 48 in service 20kg payload, high-altitude ops
EndureAir Sabal 20 India Cargo/Logistics In service VTOL, 20kg payload
Nagastra-1 India Loitering Munition 120+ delivered Parachute recovery, 30 min endurance
Pawan UAV India ISR In service 5hr endurance, 150km range
NAL Slybird India Mini UAV In service Hand-launched, 10km range
BEL Trinetra India ISR/Target Acquisition In service Versatile, Army use

  1. DRDO Rustom II (TAPASBH201)

It is an indigenous Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAV for ISR. It’s payload is approximately 350 kg with an endurance of 12 hours and ranges upto 180200 km. The drone might be upgradable in the future. Additionally, it can carry Helina antitank missiles and laser-guided rockets.

  1. IAI Heron

Israeli-origin MALE UAV, very commonly employed by all three forces for surveillance and reconnaissance. It has several variants (Mk 1, Mk 2) with more than 30 in service.

  1. IAI Searcher

Another Israeli UAV, the IAI Searcher drone, is used for reconnaissance and target acquisition. With about 20 operational units, it is mostly used for tactical surveillance.

  1. General Atomics MQ9B SkyGuardian/SeaGuardian

American high-end MALE drones are with surveillance and combat capabilities. India acquired a deal for 8 units in 2024, which is regarded as a significant advance in armed drone capability.

  1. DRDO Netra

DRDO Netra is a lightweight, quadcopter-style UAV designed by IdeaForge Drone. It is employed for urban surveillance, disaster management, and tactical reconnaissance.

  1. DRDO Nishant

Indigenous UAVS are employed for intelligence gathering, surveillance, artillery fire correction, and damage assessment. It has an endurance of 4.5 hours and is mostly operated by the army. 

  1. DRDO Abhyas

This drone has a high-speed expendable aerial target, which is employed for training and air defence exercises.

  1. DRDO Ghatak

Stealthy Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) is in development and will be used for precision strike missions.

  1. ArcherNG

Next-generation weaponised MALE UAV, used for ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance) and precision strike missions. Its payload is around 300 kg, with a range of 1000 km.

  1. Swarm Drones (NewSpace NIMBUS, BELUGA)

India's developed swarm drones are for autonomous attack and surveillance missions. More than 75 NIMBUS and 25 BELUGA units are available in service in the country of billions.

  1. Logistics and Cargo Drones (Raphe mPhibr MR20, EndureAir Sabal 20)

Logistics and Cargo Drones are utilised for high-altitude resupply and freight missions, particularly in hard-to-reach or hostile regions.

  1. Adani Drishti10 Starliner

 Based on the Israeli Hermes 900, Adani Drishti10 Starliner is utilised in reconnaissance missions.

Other Significant Drones

RUAV 200, Trinetra UAV, HAL CATS Warrior (combat teaming system), India-US Joint ALUAV, NAL Slybird, Pawan UAV, and others.

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