Indian Army Boosts Drone Warfare with 20 New 'Shaktibaan' Regiments

• Indian Army is raising 15-20 'Shaktibaan' regiments for advanced drone warfare, equipped with swarm drones, loitering munitions, and long-range UAVs.
• These regiments, under the Regiment of Artillery, will bridge a 50 km to 500 km strike capability gap, complementing existing BrahMos and Pinaka systems.
• A fast-track tender for ~850 loitering munitions, worth Rs 2,000 crore, will be issued, with Indian firms like Solar Defence and Adani Defence as contenders.
• Over 100,000 drone operators have been trained; parallel modernization includes 'Divyastra' batteries, 'Ashmi' platoons, and 'Bharav' Special Forces units.
• Loitering munitions were extensively used in Operation Sindoor against enemy positions and Pakistani military bases, highlighting their operational effectiveness.

Why It Matters: Indian Army is rapidly modernizing its warfare capabilities by integrating advanced drones and specialized units.