Key Context:

• Indian Army to establish 19 drone training centres across premier academies.

Locations include:

• Indian Military Academy (Dehradun)
• Infantry School (Mhow)
• Officers Training Academy (Chennai & Gaya)
• School of Artillery (Deolali)
• EOI (Expression of Interest): Issued to select vendors.
• Procurement being made under emergency revenue procurements.

Objective:

• Integrate drones as standard weapon systems into training curriculum (post-Operation Sindoor).

• Provide training + certification to all Army ranks.

• Army Training Command (ARTRAC): Roadmap to make drone operation a mandatory skill for every soldier.

Training Facilities:

Scope:

• Multiple categories of drones.
• Training simulators with allied infrastructure
• 24×7 outdoor manoeuvre ranges + indoor training areas.

Procurement Targets:

• 800+ drones (nano, micro, small, medium).
• 140 FPV (First-Person View) drones
• 600 training simulators with compatible equipment.
• Range Coverage: Training up to 50 km.
  Timeline: Comprehensive training hubs by January 2026.

Locations & Implementation:

• Training Modules: 4–6 days at Deolali, Mhow, Dehradun, and Bengaluru.
• Batch Strength: 25 individuals per location.
• Vendors to provide training material, equipment, and instructors.
• Target: Train all Indian Army soldiers in drone operations by 2027.
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh: Called this initiative a “game changer”.

Strategic Importance:

• Part of larger organisational overhaul to integrate Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and weapon systems at battalion level.

• Will strengthen surveillance, reconnaissance, tactical strikes, and counter-drone warfare.

• Positions the Indian Army for modern, technology-driven warfare.

Way Forward:

• Indigenization: Promote Make-in-India drones, simulators, and counter-drone systems through DRDO–private sector collaboration.
• Joint Doctrine: Develop tri-services drone training modules to ensure interoperability in modern warfare.
• Counter-Drone Preparedness: Integrate training in jamming, anti-drone guns, and swarm neutralisation technologies.
• Simulation + Field Training: Expand VR/AR simulators while conducting regular live exercises with UAVs in war games.
• Doctrinal Innovation: Create specialised drone units at battalion level and update infantry/artillery doctrines for UAV-centric operations.