India’s Private Sky Warriors are Taking Off 🛰️

As tensions flare along the Line of Control, a new kind of soldier is reporting for duty—these are the engineers, founders, and operators behind India’s drone startups. These innovators, who are quietly working behind the scenes, are establishing themselves as a crucial pillar in strengthening the country’s frontline defence.

By Mohit Pandey

Just a decade ago, India’s defence tech landscape was dominated by state-run public sector undertakings (PSUs) and stringent regulations. Today, however, startups like ideaForge, Garuda Aerospace, Asteria Aerospace, IG Drones, and Scandron are building the eyes and ears of India’s modern, tech-savvy military. 

Originally developed for agriculture, infrastructure, and disaster management, these unmanned aerial systems (UAS) are now being repurposed—and in some cases, entirely redesigned—for tactical military applications.

“We are the tool that collects data right now,” said Vishal Saxena, VP at ideaForge. He explained that staying behind the scenes was part of their job, as intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) systems were inherently meant to operate discreetly.

The shift is strategic and urgent. Operation Sindoor has triggered a surge in demand for ISR drones, loitering munitions, and high-altitude platforms. 

At Garuda Aerospace, 2,000 drones with payload-dropping capabilities are ready to be deployed, with another 2,000 in production.

Other players like Scandron are expanding manufacturing capacity at record speed—from 400 to potentially 2,000 units a month—to meet specific military requirements. 

“The Army has come up with a basic list of requirements. Some of those are readily met, some require fast-track development,” Scandron CEO Arjun Naik said.

The scale-up isn’t just about hardware. IG Drones has built India’s first indigenous military drone simulator, and is potentially chasing a Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance (DGAQA) certification for its high-endurance vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) and first-person view (FPV) systems. 

“With over 75% indigenous capability, we are redefining sovereign tech at the border,” IG Drones CEO Bodhisattwa Sanghapriya said.

Yet, despite the optimism, most founders agree that capacity and clarity remain major bottlenecks. While the manufacturing muscle exists, long-term procurement frameworks from the defence ministry still lag behind the pace of innovation.

And then, control enters the conversation.

“Our drones are not armed. Luckily, that dilemma isn’t there. But if we were making that tech, the question would be: should there even be a war?” Saxena said.

For now, most of India’s drone companies position themselves as enablers, not aggressors. But their tech, especially in the form of autonomous swarms and real-time battlefield intelligence, is redefining how the military thinks about operations.

“India has about 900 drone companies,” Naik said. “Fewer than 10 of those are serious players. The rest are traders. Now the real manufacturers will come to the forefront.”

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