India looks at drones to power its armed forces

Country gears up for era of soldier-less battlefields despite gaps in policies on use of drones

India is investing heavily in developing unmanned vehicles — ground, sea and air — as it gears up for a fast-approaching era of soldier-less battlefields despite the current void in policies governing how they will be used.

Government-run labs of the DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) and National Aeronautics Ltd, along with state-owned defence manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, are working on several drone projects, right from vehicles that weigh under a kg to Rustom II, which will have a payload capacity of 350 kg.

The DRDO, which designed the Tejas light combat aircraft and drones such as Nishant and Lakshya, is