IAF’s Dronathon puts indigenous drone systems to the test at Pokhran

IAF’s Dronathon puts indigenous drone systems to the test at Pokhran The Indian Air Force's Dronathon is currently underway at Pokhran Field Firing Range. Participating companies demonstrate unmanned aerial systems for various military applications. The event emphasizes operational effect under demanding and contested conditions. This initiative aligns with the Air Force's UAS Roadmap for future capabilities. These efforts signal a coordinated push for indigenous unmanned systems development. Indian Air Force's 'Dronathon' is currently underway at the Pokhran Field Firing Range in Jaisalmer. The IAF sees unmanned systems as a genuine complement to manned aviation, giving commanders more options to extend the reach, persistence and flexibility of air operations. Through Dronathon, participating companies are demonstrating their Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) at Pokhran, spanning surveillance and reconnaissance, autonomous operations, swarm technologies, electronic warfare and counter-drone systems. The real emphasis this year is shifting from simple tech demos to actual operational effect, testing how reliably these systems perform under contested, demanding conditions.Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, Vice Chief of the Air Staff inaugurated the event, with senior officials from the Ministry of Defence, HQ Integrated Defence Staff, the Army and BSF attended the event. Alongside the inauguration, Air Marshal Dixit also released the air force's UAS Roadmap, a document designed to give Indian industry, academia and research bodies far clearer visibility into the Air Force's future capability priorities, so their innovation efforts stay aligned with what the IAF actually needs going forward. End of Article