New Delhi, May 5: The Indian Army has accelerated its shift to next‑generation warfare, turning soldiers into “drone warriors” within a year of Operation Sindoor by establishing dedicated drone units and scaling training and equipment across formations. Defence officials say the move, pushed publicly on Kargil Vijay Diwas last year by Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, has rapidly increased the force’s surveillance, combat and counter‑drone capabilities.
The Army has created Ashni Platoons — specialised drone units — and officials confirm these platoons are now in place across infantry battalions, marking completion of the first phase of the drone induction programme. The initial phase delivered basic, unit‑level training to ensure every infantry soldier gains fundamental drone operation skills.
A second, formation‑level phase is under way to produce specialist operators. Candidates identified during basic training are selected for intensive instruction that begins with 15–20 hours of simulator‑based familiarisation and proceeds to live field training. At formation training centres, batches of about 20–25 soldiers undergo two‑ to three‑week courses aimed at making operators mission‑ready.
Training is being extended to personnel from other services to build joint operational capability. The curriculum covers a wide spectrum of platforms and roles — surveillance drones, First Person View (FPV) systems, armed drones and logistic drones — as well as counter‑drone techniques to detect and neutralise hostile aerial threats.
Drones were central to Operation Sindoor, officials said, contributing to surveillance, combat support and the neutralisation of enemy aerial threats, including instances where Indian forces shot down Pakistani drones. Procurement and deployment of advanced drone and counter‑drone systems have been accelerated in parallel with training.
Institutional infrastructure is being strengthened with drone training nodes established at the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun, the Infantry School in Mhow (Dr Ambedkar Nagar) and the Officers Training Academy in Chennai. The Army’s doctrine, called “Eagle in the Arm,” seeks to make drones as integral to soldiers as their primary weapons, applying them across combat, surveillance, logistics and medical evacuation. Defence officials say the long‑term aim is full integration: by 2027, all infantry personnel should be proficient in drone operations. IANS
Original Source: https://theshillongtimes.com/2026/05/05/indian-army-raises-drone-warriors-in-a-year-every-formation-now-has-ashni-platoon/
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Publish Date: 2026-05-05 22:20:00
