IAF partners industry to develop indigenous long-range kamikaze drones
New Delhi, June 16. In a significant departure from its traditional procurement approach, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has launched an initiative to jointly develop long-range kamikaze drones with Indian industry, while retaining ownership of the intellectual property rights for future upgrades and production expansion.
The IAF on June 12 issued a limited tender enquiry inviting Indian companies to participate in the project, stipulating that the drones must be designed, developed and manufactured entirely within the country. The 5 Base Repair Depot (BRD) at Sulur in Coimbatore has been designated as the nodal agency for the programme.
The move marks a notable shift in the IAF’s role in capability development. Traditionally, the service formulates operational requirements and specifications, leaving the design and manufacturing responsibilities to industry. Under the new model, however, the Air Force will directly collaborate with selected partners in developing the weapon system.
By retaining intellectual property rights, the IAF aims to ensure greater flexibility for future modifications and enhancements. A report in The Tribune, citing sources, stated that the arrangement would also enable the BRD to increase production capacity whenever operational requirements demand.
Known in military parlance as “one-way attack unmanned aerial systems”, kamikaze drones are designed to strike designated targets and are not intended to return after completing their mission.
According to the tender, the IAF is seeking a fixed-wing platform capable of operating at altitudes of up to 16,000 feet in both day and night conditions while carrying a minimum payload of 30 kg. The payload must be modular, allowing the drone to be configured for different missions by carrying munitions, sensors or airborne data relay systems.
In line with the government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative and efforts to strengthen indigenous defence manufacturing, preference will be given to domestic suppliers. The Air Force has also mandated that the platform should not incorporate any Chinese-origin technology, components or materials.
The joint development effort will encompass the airframe as well as other key systems and subsystems. The airframe is required to withstand the stresses encountered during launch, cruise, manoeuvring and mission execution.
The programme also calls for the development of an advanced autopilot system capable of fully autonomous operations, including launch, waypoint navigation, loitering, mission execution and, where applicable, return-to-base functions.
In addition, the IAF has sought the creation of a comprehensive maintenance ecosystem covering flight controllers, hardware and software support, version management and an indigenised supply chain at the user level.
The drone is expected to be launched from a static platform, with the launcher designed to ensure consistent performance and facilitate rapid deployment under field conditions.
