India has achieved a great milestone in the manufacturing of small but deadly drones, which are capable of attacking with small missiles and destroying enemy tanks within a few moments. While the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) is also involved in the manufacture of armed drones, a private company under the Army's Make-2 project has successfully manufactured an armed drone capable of attacking with an anti-tank guided missile weighing up to 10-12 kg, which can launch a missile attack up to 15-20 kilometers away. The drone has been successful in initial testing and has been designed on the lines of America's Predator Armed Drone MQ-9, but is much smaller, with an estimated weight of around 35-40 kg.
The Army is encouraging the private sector to manufacture small lethal drones under the Make-2 project, and startups are being provided grants for this purpose. Under the Make-1 project, three types of drones have been prepared, defined as 'high altitude', 'medium altitude', and 'low altitude' drones, which are being used for surveillance and transportation. Additionally, multirotor drones have been developed with the help of the private sector, which are capable of carrying one or more payloads, such as guided explosives of five kg. Advanced technologies such as 'swarm drones' and satellite control drones have also been deployed by the Army for surveillance and real-time monitoring of enemy movements.
DRDO is also working on making armed drones, and two of its UAVs Rustom and Ghatak are nearing the final stage and undergoing internal tests. These are being prepared for both surveillance and attack use.
Small and medium-sized lethal drones have been kept on priority to meet the challenges of future warfare, as they reduce cost and increase firepower. About 500 weaponized drones can be purchased in the first phase. However, the drone will have to undergo many more tests under the supervision of the Army in different geographical conditions of the country.
If this type of small armed drone becomes available to the Army in the future, it can be immediately used to destroy terrorist camps in PoK, carry out targeted attacks on camps, and damage enemy tanks, bunkers, and other structures in the event of war. Although Pakistan does not have information about this type of drone, China has information about the presence of more deadly armed drones. Iran's Shahid series of weaponized drones are medium-range drones and have a relatively low cost. The drones India is developing are of a smaller range and are likely to cost less.
