What Is ‘Drone Shakti’? How Indian Army’s EME-Led Drone Ecosystem Took Centre Stage At Republic Day 2026

When the Indian Army rolled out its 'Drone Shakti' tableau on Kartavya Path during the 2026 Republic Day parade, the display carried a message that went far beyond ceremonial pride. What was being signalled was a shift in how the Army intends to fight its future battles — not with drones as specialist assets controlled from the rear, but as everyday tools in the hands of soldiers at the front.Drone Shakti is not being pitched as a single platform or a breakthrough technology. Instead, Army planners describe it as an ecosystem — one that stretches from design and production to repair, training and battlefield use. The underlying idea is simple but consequential: drones must be available when they are needed, repaired where they are lost, and controlled by

the units that rely on them most.

Taking Drones Out of the Rear Area

For years, unmanned systems in the Indian Army were treated as high-value assets. They were held at formation level, flown by specialist detachments and sustained through long supply chains. That model worked in permissive environments, but recent operational experience exposed its limits.Senior commanders now argue that drones are most effective when they are ordinary rather than exceptional. This thinking has been captured in the Army’s internal phrase “Eagle on Arm” — a shorthand for embedding unmanned aerial systems directly into battalions and regiments. In practical terms, this means infantry units carrying their own surveillance drones, artillery batteries using organic UAVs for targeting, and commanders no longer waiting for approvals from higher headquarters to get eyes over the next ridge. The emphasis is not on sophistication but on availability. A simple drone in the air at the right moment can shape a firefight more decisively than a complex system sitting idle.

Repairing and Replacing at the Front

Perhaps the most telling feature of Drone Shakti is its focus on sustainment. During public demonstrations, the Army showcased mobile vehicles that function as drone repair and assembly hubs. These are not exhibition pieces. They are meant to follow troops forward, allowing damaged drones to be fixed or rebuilt close to the area of operations.This approach reflects lessons learned from recent standoffs and engagements, including Operation SINDOOR, where drones were used intensively but also suffered from attrition caused by weather, terrain and hostile counter-measures. In those conditions, waiting for replacements from rear depots proved slow and disruptive. Units that could not regenerate drones quickly found their situational awareness degrade just when it mattered most.By pushing repair capability forward, the Army is trying to keep drone availability high even during sustained, high-tempo operations. Embedded 3D printing, modular components and trained repair teams are intended to shorten the time between loss and return to service.

Why Indigenous Matters in Combat

Another pillar of Drone Shakti is indigenous production. Army Base Workshops and select zonal facilities have been tasked with producing and sustaining drones in-house. The reasoning is as much operational as it is strategic.In a crisis, global supply chains are fragile. Imported components can become bottlenecks overnight. By developing the ability to manufacture and refurbish drones within the military system, the Army is seeking a measure of insurance — the ability to keep flying even when external supplies are disrupted.Officials stress that this is not about replacing private industry but complementing it. Civilian firms provide scale and innovation, while the Army focuses on ensuring that frontline units are never grounded due to paperwork, logistics delays or vendor dependence.

Changing How Units Fight

Drone Shakti is also driving organisational change. The Army has begun trialling specialist sub-units equipped with drones and counter-drone systems, designed to operate alongside conventional infantry and mechanised forces. These elements combine surveillance, loitering munitions and electronic warfare at the tactical level, allowing commanders to act faster and with greater confidence.Training is evolving accordingly. Soldiers are being taught not just how to fly drones, but how to integrate them into patrols, assaults and defensive layouts. Maintenance personnel are learning to keep systems operational under field conditions, while commanders are adapting their planning to account for constant aerial awareness — and the enemy’s ability to contest it.

A Quiet but Significant Shift

What makes Drone Shakti noteworthy is not its technological ambition, but its realism. The programme accepts that drones will be lost, jammed and broken. Instead of chasing perfection, it focuses on resilience — on the ability to adapt, repair and continue fighting. EME has reportedly trained hundreds of technicians for drone lifecycle roles and established new trade specialisations focused on UAS operations and communications maintenance, according to defence web releases and training centre reports. Mobile teams, embedded labs and field 3D printing are intended to lower Mean Time To Repair (MTTR) and preserve sortie rates during sustained operations. Military training doctrine is concurrently being updated to produce remote pilots, UAS maintenance technicians and EW specialists at scale.To convert capability into strategic effect, the Army needs interoperability, secure logistics, and doctrine that aligns joint fires, ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) and cyber-electromagnetic activities at operational tempo, a point emphasised by analysts reviewing recent conflicts where drones reshaped battlespaces. The Indian effort — combining EME manufacturing, unit experiments and national policy — reflects an attempt to institutionalise that integration rather than rely solely on vendor procurements. If successful, Drone Shakti could change how the Army conceives manoeuvre, sustainment and deterrence in the decades ahead.If the Army succeeds in embedding this mindset across formations, Drone Shakti could mark a turning point in Indian land warfare. It suggests an Army preparing for conflicts where tempo is relentless, supply lines are contested, and success depends as much on adaptability as on firepower. In that sense, Drone Shakti is less about drones themselves and more about a force learning to fight in a world where the sky just above the battlefield matters as much as the ground beneath it.