Usman Haider
Drones are gradually becoming central to routine military operations in South Asia, and the Indian military is at the forefront of this ongoing revolution. From surveillance missions to logistical support, the Indian military is currently employing drones from the high-altitude terrain of the Himalayas to the sea level near Jamnagar.
While combat-capable drones often attract the most attention, special focus should be given to the logistics drones the Indian army is operating along its northern frontiers. In these areas, mountainous terrain makes traditional transportation of supplies using conventional means expensive and sluggish. The drone operations at high altitudes reflect India’s broader military strategy to improve its capability to launch proactive operations along its disputed borders with Pakistan and China.
In his keynote address at a December 2018 seminar held by the Centre for Land Warfare Studies on “Changing Contours of Mountain Warfare,” then-Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat emphasized the procurement of logistics drones capable of operating in high-altitude regions. Following this, the army issued an open tender to procure such drones.
In its 2022 tender, the army devised two categories: standard and high-altitude drones, those capable of operating at altitudes of up to 12,000 feet and over 12,000 ft respectively. The systems were expected to operate day and night, withstand high altitude winds, have a minimum of 45 minutes endurance, and have a minimum of 10 kilometers of mission range. In addition, the drones must be capable of enduring at least 5,000 landings for the High-Altitude Version and at least 10,000 landings for the standard version.
The initial requirement was to acquire 163 high-altitude and 200 medium-altitude logistics drones, for a total of 363 logistics drones, in November 2022. Later, the army increased the order to 563 drones. In less than three years after the tender became public, the drones were designed, produced, tested, and deployed along the frontlines.
A recent report by Indian online media confirmed that the Indian Army has started deploying payloads through logistics drones at altitudes exceeding 12,000 ft. The Air Orca drone, manufactured by Odisha-based firm BonV Aero, is operational with the Indian Army, providing last-mile supply to the troops deployed along the Line of Control (LoC, the de facto border with Pakistan) and the Line of Actual Control (LAC, the de facto border with China). Other companies are also producing logistics drones for the Indian Army. Scandron recently claimed to deliver supplies even to soldiers deployed at around 18,000 ft via drones.
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