IAF launches project to develop indigenous kamikaze drones with Indian industry
The Indian Air Force has launched a project to develop indigenous long-range kamikaze drones with Indian industry. The initiative aims to boost self-reliance in defence manufacturing, with IAF issuing tenders for one-way attack systems developed entirely in India
New Delhi: The Indian Air Force (IAF) has launched a project to develop indigenous long-range Kamikaze drones with Indian industry, a Defence Ministry official said on Tuesday.
The IAF has issued a limited tender to select Indian companies for One-Way Attack Unmanned Aerial Systems (OWA-UAS), the official said in a statement. The Kamikaze drone project will be handled by the 5 Base Repair Depot (BRD) at Sulur near Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, which has been designated as the nodal agency for the key task.
Kamikaze drones, also known as loitering munitions or suicide drones, are one-way, self-sacrificing unmanned aerial vehicles that fly to a target area, locate enemies and detonate on impact.
As part of the decisions taken by the Defence Ministry, the IAF will retain Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) of the drone platform that is proposed to be designed, developed and manufactured entirely in India with the help of home-grown companies and start-ups. The project will enable faster upgrades, modifications and customisation as per operational needs, the statement said.
As per IAF’s specifications, the long-range Kamikaze drones would operate up to 16,000 feet and function in day and night conditions.
At an earlier National Defence Industries Conclave, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that India must work in a mission mode to emerge as a global hub of indigenous drone manufacturing in the next few years. He added that this was needed to ensure strategic autonomy, enhance defence preparedness and make the country ‘Aatmanirbhar’ (self-reliant) in view of the present geopolitical uncertainties.
The Defence Minister asserted that the ongoing conflicts, ranging from the Russia-Ukraine war to the tensions between Iran and Israel, are proof that drones and counter-drone technologies are destined to play a pivotal role in future warfare. He said that self-reliance in drone manufacturing is essential not merely at the product level, but at the component level as well.
Rajnath Singh said, “From the drone’s moulds to its software, engines and batteries, everything must be manufactured in India. This is no easy task. In most countries where drones are manufactured, a significant number of critical components are currently imported from China.”
He added that while the creation of any nation’s defence industrial ecosystem relies on the contributions of large industries, MSMEs, start-ups and innovators, it is equally driven by a clear policy push from the government, tailored to meet the country’s specific defence requirements.
“As of February 2026, nearly 676 start-ups, MSMEs and individual innovators have joined the defence innovation ecosystem since the inception of iDEX in 2018, and as many as 548 contracts have been signed. Of these, 58 prototypes have received clearance for procurement, valued at around Rs 3,853 crore. Furthermore, 45 procurement contracts have already been signed, worth nearly Rs 2,326 crore,” the Defence Minister said.