Drones are no more eyes in the sky, they are claws in the sky, says IAF Chief

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Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh.

Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh. | Photo Credit: PTI

Chief of Indian Air Force (IAF) Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh connected Thursday (May 14, 2026) highlighted the increasing relation of drones and unmanned systems successful modern warfare, asserting that unmanned aerial systems (UAS) are nary longer simply surveillance tools but person go violative assets shaping the aboriginal battlefield.

Addressing a associated seminar and accumulation connected UAS organised by the Centre for Aerospace Power and Strategic Studies and Indian Military Review, the IAF Chief said, “There are nary much eyes successful the sky; determination are claws successful the entity now,” underlining the lethal imaginable of drones witnessed successful caller planetary conflicts and during Operation Sindoor.

The Air Chief stated that unmanned systems are an hold of aerial power, and each accepted principles of aerial warfare proceed to use to drone operations. He noted that the battlefield is rapidly evolving from concentrated aerial powerfulness towards a much decentralised and autonomous approach.

Calling counter-UAS operations a “cat-and-mouse game,” ACM Singh stressed that advances successful drone exertion indispensable beryllium matched simultaneously by improvements successful antiaircraft systems. “It cannot ever beryllium unit versus force; it has to beryllium unit versus defence and vice versa,” helium said.

India‘s show during Operation Sindoor

Referring to Operation Sindoor, the Air Chief said India performed reasonably good owed to effectual coordination among assorted defence elements. According to him, nary of the adversary’s limb systems oregon UAS were capable to deed their intended targets during the operation.

He emphasised that drones and counter-drone systems are nary longer futuristic concepts but present-day realities transforming subject operations crossed the world. ACM Singh besides pointed retired that reduced hazard to quality lives and little operational costs marque drones progressively charismatic for modern equipped forces.

The seminar brought unneurotic subject officials, defence experts and manufacture stakeholders to deliberate connected emerging trends successful unmanned warfare and the increasing value of indigenous counter-UAS capabilities successful India’s defence preparedness.

He added that UAS are ever talked about, but unmanned systems successful different domains are not talked astir enough. “We are moving towards robotic war; quality beingness cannot beryllium a cost. Everybody is moving towards it. There’s a request to innovate astatine the velocity of relevance due to the fact that strategy has to travel successful earlier it becomes irrelevant,” helium said.

Published - May 15, 2026 10:18 p.m. IST

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