The Indian Army is set to raise specialised drone units, to be known as "Baaz Battalions", as part of a major push to strengthen its unmanned warfare capabilities and integrate drone operations more deeply into future military strategy.
Announcing the initiative, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi said the new battalions will create a dedicated cadre of personnel trained exclusively to operate, manage and sustain the Army's rapidly expanding fleet of unmanned aerial systems.
"The Army will require continuous induction, upgrades and replenishment of drones on a large scale. To maintain pace with this requirement, one of the most important initiatives is raising Baaz Battalions," General Dwivedi said.
The proposed battalions will build upon the existing Remotely Piloted Aircraft Flights currently deployed across various Army formations. They are expected to provide a more structured and specialised framework for planning, operating and maintaining drone missions across different operational theatres.
According to the Army Chief, the units will comprise specially trained personnel dedicated to operating unmanned systems, significantly enhancing the Army's intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities while improving target acquisition, battlefield monitoring and real-time situational awareness.
The move is part of the Army's broader effort to institutionalise unmanned technologies within its evolving operational doctrine at a time when drones are playing an increasingly decisive role in modern warfare.
Recent conflicts, particularly the Russia-Ukraine war, have highlighted the growing importance of unmanned platforms in intelligence gathering, reconnaissance, surveillance, precision strikes and battlefield coordination, prompting militaries around the world to rapidly expand their drone capabilities.
General Dwivedi said the Indian Army's drone inventory has grown dramatically over the past two years. While the force operated only a few hundred drones until recently, it now possesses more than 50,000 unmanned systems across different categories.
Based on operational requirements and future force planning, he said the Army expects this inventory to expand even further and could potentially double over the next two to three years.
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He noted that drones are steadily becoming an integral part of tactical operations, enabling commanders to make faster and better-informed decisions through continuous surveillance and enhanced battlefield awareness.
"As technology matures and costs reduce, drones are likely to become as common on the battlefield as communication equipment and night-vision devices," General Dwivedi said. Alongside expanding its drone fleet, the Army is also investing in technologies to detect, track and neutralise hostile unmanned aerial systems, recognising that future battlefields will require both offensive and defensive drone capabilities.
Responding to concerns over Pakistan's investments in drone technology, General Dwivedi said the Army closely monitors developments across the border and regularly evaluates emerging threats.
He noted that India's adversaries are investing heavily in unmanned systems while benefiting from technological support from multiple external sources, making it essential for the Army to maintain a technological edge. "Our focus is to achieve dominance in the drone battlespace rather than merely matching the numbers possessed by adversaries," the Army Chief said.
The creation of the Baaz Battalions is being viewed as a major organisational reform that will formalise drone operations within the Army, build a specialised pool of skilled drone operators and technical personnel, and accelerate the integration of unmanned systems into India's future combat doctrines and battlefield operations.
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