Overview
- Industry group Drone Federation India told Reuters this week that New Delhi is preparing to place more than $2 billion of orders for Indian-made military drones, a step up from recent tactical buys.
- The procurement plan is reported to be in advanced stages and would use accelerated acquisition routes with deliveries expected within 18 to 24 months.
- Officials and industry sources say the orders will focus on tactical drones, loitering munitions and strike-capable remotely piloted aircraft with emphasis on survivability in electronic-warfare environments.
- Policy tools such as iDEX, Production-Linked Incentives and eased procurement rules are being used to give domestic firms clearer order visibility and speed production scale-up across suppliers.
- The push could reshape the market for more than 600 Indian drone firms by attracting investment, creating manufacturing jobs, and prompting consolidation while formal MoD line-item allocations remain unspecified.