WEBDESK: In a desperate attempt to cover up the Indian Air Force’s humiliation during its recent clash with Pakistan, the Modi government has announced a $234 million Drone Scheme for civil and military drone production.
Sources familiar with the plan told Reuters the initiative is aimed at reducing India’s reliance on imported drone parts and countering Pakistan’s growing drone capabilities, backed by China and Turkey.
This latest Drone Scheme comes in the wake of the four day confrontation in May 2025, where India and Pakistan engaged in large-scale drone warfare for the first time. The outcome proved disastrous for India, as its much hyped air power faltered badly against Pakistan’s aerial and drone countermeasures. The night of May 7 is being quietly referred to within defence circles as one of the Indian Air Force’s most humiliating episodes in recent memory.
Rather than address the glaring weaknesses in its conventional forces, New Delhi has opted to flood the battlefield with cheap, expendable drones in future conflicts, hoping to avoid risking its prized fighter jets, which suffered significant losses in the last clash. The Drone Scheme is being presented as a technological leap forward, but defence insiders admit it’s a face-saving tactic designed to restore public confidence after a military embarrassment.
Despite India’s ban on importing fully assembled drones, it remains heavily dependent on Chinese-made motors, sensors, and imaging systems for its unmanned fleet. Officials claim the new Drone Scheme will boost domestic manufacturing, but the reality is that India’s drone sector, with over 600 registered companies, has so far struggled to match the capabilities of its regional rivals.
Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh admitted last week that the May conflict saw heavy use of drones, loitering munitions and kamikaze drones by both sides. “The lesson we’ve learned,” he said, “is to double down on indigenisation.” However, critics argue this lesson is born from defeat, not strategy.
Observers say this plan is a desperate move to salvage the myth of Indian aerial superiority, now exposed as hollow after multiple operational failures. Pakistan’s consistent tactical edge in drone warfare has left India scrambling for a response and this Drone Scheme is little more than an attempt to fill that gap with expendable equipment designed for propaganda value rather than real combat effectiveness.
