What Is ‘Drone Shakti’? How EME-Led Drone Ecosystem Will Reform the Battlefield

What Is ‘Drone Shakti’? How EME-Led Drone Ecosystem Will Reform the Battlefield
Saheel Singh
By Saheel Singh
Senior Content Writer
17 Feb 2026

Drone Shakti

Defence Drones

Army Drones

Operation Sindoor

Drone Training

Drone Piloting

The Drone Shakti” initiative builds an indigenous, end-to-end ecosystem for drones, integrating design, fabrication, fast repair and sustainment at scale. Drone Shakti is a breakthrough technology and an ecosystem that spans design and production, repair, training, and battlefield use. The idea is simple: drones must be accessible when needed the most.

1. Making Drones More and More Common To be Used in the Army

Making Drones More and More Common To be Used in the Army - image 1

Drones were once viewed as assets in the Indian Army, operated by professional detachments and supported by long supply chains. That model worked well in permissive environments, but operational experience revealed its limits.

Senior Army officials believe that drones are most effective when they are simple and not exceptional. This thought process has been captured in the Army’s internal phrase “Eagle on Arm”, a shorthand for embedding drones directly into battalions and regiments.

This means infantry regiments carrying their own surveillance drones, artillery batteries using organic drones for targeting. The significance is not in sophistication but in accessibility. As stated by an Army Captain, a drone in the air at the right moment can fight more conclusively than a complex drone sitting idle.

2. Mending and Replacing the Drones in the Battlefield

Mending and Replacing the Drones in the Battlefield - image 1

 One of the key features of Drone Shakti is its emphasis on sustainment. The Army showcased mobile vehicles that served as drone repair and assembly hubs. They follow troops, letting damaged drones be repaired or rebuilt close to the operational area.

This method is a result of lessons learnt from recent engagements, including Operation SINDOOR, where drones were used but also suffered attrition owing to weather, terrain and hostile countermeasures. Waiting for replacements from rear depots proved slow and disruptive. Units that could not reinstate drones rapidly found their situational awareness degraded just when it mattered most.

With improved repair capability, the Indian Army will be able to maintain drone availability even during high-tempo operations. 3D printing, modular components, and trained repair teams will reduce time to loss and return to service.

3. Why Indigenous Drones Come in Handy During Combat?

Why Indigenous Drones Come in Handy During Combat? - image 1

When a crisis strikes, global supply chains are fragile. Imported components can become bottlenecks. By developing the capability to manufacture and refurbish drones within the military, the Army is seeking a measure of insurance: the capability to keep flying even when external supplies are disrupted.

Officials emphasize that this is not about substituting private industry but about complementing it. Civilian firms drive innovation, while the Army stresses ensuring that battle zone units are never grounded by paperwork, logistics delays or vendor dependence.

4. Changing the Way Drones Fight in Battles

Changing the Way Drones Fight in Battles - image 1

Drone Shakti also drives administrative change. The Indian Army has begun trialling specialist sub-units equipped with drones and counter-drone systems to function alongside conventional infantry and mechanized forces. These elements combine surveillance, loitering munitions, and electronic warfare at the tactical level, enabling commanders to act faster and with greater confidence.

Drone training is emerging accordingly. Soldiers are also integrating them into war situations. Maintenance staff will keep systems operational under field conditions, while commanders familiarize their planning with continuous aerial alertness and the enemy’s competence to contest it.

5. A Momentous Shift in Defence

A Momentous Shift in Defence  - image 1

Drone Shakti is amazing not for its technical ambition but for its realism. The programme states that drones will be lost, jammed and broken. Instead of chasing perfection, it lays emphasis on resilience, on the capability to acclimatise, repair and continue fighting.

EME has proficient experts in drone lifecycle roles and has recognised new trade specializations focused on UAS operations and communications maintenance, as stated in defence web releases and training centre reports. Military training doctrine is updated to produce drone pilots, UAS maintenance technicians, and EW specialists at scale.

For adapting the ability into strategic effect, the Indian Army requires interoperability, secure logistics and a doctrine aligning joint fires, ISR and cyber-electromagnetic actions at operational tempo, a point highlighted by analysts reviewing fresh conflicts where drones reformed battlespaces. Drone Shakti could alter how the Army considers manoeuvre, sustainment and deterrence in the decades ahead.

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Drone Shakti

Defence Drones

Army Drones

Operation Sindoor

Drone Training

Drone Piloting

Saheel Singh
Saheel Singh
Senior Content Writer

A dynamic and seasoned content writer with 6 years of experience curating content for different platforms. With the knowledge of all the cogs of content writing and SEO, he has served in various industries. He believes that content is the kingpin, and if penned well, it has a lasting impact on the minds of the readers. Apart from content creation, he is also an ardent poetry lover and performer. He has two publications of his poetry collection, namely Alfaaz and Chestha

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