SHASHWAT GUPTA RAY
PANJIM: After the Ukraine-Russia and Israel-Hamas conflicts, drone warfare has made its presence felt in a big way during the ongoing India-Pakistan conflict. According to military experts, going ahead, drones or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles UAVs) will have a critical role to play in inflicting maximum damage to the opposition in the ‘contactless war’.
This can be only countered by having a robust air defence system (ADS), as displayed by India.
Elaborating on this issue, Col (retd) C M Chavan, who served in the Corps of Army Air Defence (AAD), said, “The ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East have demonstrated the operational effectiveness of swarm drone attacks. These systems, owing to their low cost and high impact, have emerged as potent tools for saturation strikes. Similarly, precision-guided long-range missiles, including platforms like BrahMos and hypersonic variants, serve as strategic assets capable of delivering pre-emptive psychological and structural damage to enemy forces.”
Brigadier (retd) Neil John said that moving tanks and infantry to establish or fight a contact battle with adequate degradation would be all out war.
“Drones are the new toys of probing defences and preparedness. This medium still needs to be defined. Low-cost drones, like the Turkish Asisguard Songar or similar models, are cheap but effective. Armed with basic explosives or used for reconnaissance, they can flood the battlespace,” Brig John said.
Accurate navigation and targeting systems are critical for mission success, thereby reducing reliance on manned fighter aircraft, which are now increasingly being reserved for high-value, specialised missions.
“Modern warfare now emphasises cost-effectiveness and force multiplication. Unmanned systems and precision munitions reduce the attrition risk to expensive platforms and trained personnel. Drones and missiles have become integral components of a layered offensive strategy, amplifying operational capabilities and exerting a demoralising psychological effect on adversary forces,” Col Chavan said.
According to him, the psychological impact on civilian populations during sustained drone and missile strikes is significant, often leading to widespread fear and disruption.
“Maintaining public morale necessitates timely and transparent communication. Regular briefings by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), supported with verifiable evidence, are essential to reinforce trust in national defence efforts,” he said.
Speaking on the enhanced role of air defence in this backdrop, the expert informed that previously considered a secondary element, AAD has now assumed a central role in battlefield dominance.
“Achieving and maintaining air superiority is contingent upon the effective interception of enemy aerial threats, including UAVs and cruise missiles. Timely neutralisation of these threats not only protects strategic assets but also denies the adversary freedom of action in the air domain,” Col Chavan said.
According to Brig John, drones are a better deal when it comes to fighting a low intensity but high impact battle. “Each ADS missile like the S-400 fired at $1,000 drones, costs millions. A swarm of thousand drones could deplete ammunition, exhaust radar operators and expose vulnerabilities. This is classic asymmetric warfare – bankrupting the defender’s resources while studying their response,” he added.
Lt Col (retd) M K Gupta Ray said that India’s ADS has proven resilient, eliminating hundreds of drones with kinetic and non-kinetic means. But this is a wake-up call.
“Countermeasures must evolve, scaling up laser-based defences like DRDO’s anti-drone systems to target them cost-effectively. Use AI-driven threat detection to prioritise high-value targets,” he said.
Colonel retd) NN Bhatia said that the weapon systems used as part of ADS have undergone a sea change from the 1960s and 70s.
“I was an infantry officer commissioned in 1963 and retired in 1995. In 1962, 1965 and 1 971 wars or operations in numerous insurgencies, in our times Light Machine Gun (LMG) or L70 guns in the Corps of Artillery were the major ADS weapons. Now AI, drones and neutralising them are major pre-war fighting escalating munitions,” Col Bhatia said.
ADS has become a major weapon system and war waging has gone hi-tech through tremendous revolutionary precision in drone and aerial anti-drone combat technologies.
“Notwithstanding that, the role of infantry and armour to capture grounds of tactical importance and strategic targets would always be very vital,” he said.