What is drone warfare? A simple explainer amid India-Pakistan tensions

India Today

09-05-2025

In the wake of rising tensions along the Indo-Pakistan border, residents in the region have witnessed drone and missile attacks from Pakistan for two consecutive nights. This escalation followed India's targeted strikes on terrorist infrastructure within Pakistan. The chain of events was triggered by a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, where 26 tourists -- including a Nepali national -- were killed.The use of drones by Pakistan signals a shift in the nature of modern warfare, pointing towards a new era dominated by unmanned aerial systems.While this is not the first instance of drones being used in international conflict, similar tactics have been seen in the ongoing three-year-long Russo-Ukraine war and in Israel, where Iran recently launched a barrage of drone attacks.Nations like the United States, the United Kingdom, and France have also demonstrated their drone capabilities in operations targeting terrorist networks across various regions of the world.India, too, has employed drones in recent operations, including the recently conducted Operation Sindoor and retaliatory strikes against Pakistan. Indian drones, such as the HARPY -- an Israeli-made loitering munition -- have played a significant role in these missions.Experts have long warned that drone warfare will increasingly shape 21st-century conflicts. As the global military landscape continues to evolve, it is becoming clear that unmanned systems are poised to dominate future battlefields.In the early years of the 21st century, most drone strikes were carried out by the US military in countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Somalia, Yemen, and Libya, using air-to-surface missiles against ground targets.Drone warfare has since been adopted by countries like Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Iran, as well as by non-state actors such as the Houthis.advertisementWHAT IS DRONE WARFARE?Drone warfare refers to a mode of warfare employing unmanned or remotely controlled devices. Such drones have the capability of staying in the air, on land, at sea level, or underwater. The drones may be operated by manual control, and others may utilise auto-pilot systems on their missions.UAV, or Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, is commonly known as a drone. It is the flying component of the RPAS, operated without a human pilot onboard.
RPAS which establishes the communication link between them, stands for Remotely Piloted Aircraft System. It refers to a set of components that include the drone, its ground-based control system.These nations, such as the US, UK, Israel, China, India, Russia, and Turkey, have produced combat drones, or UCAVs (Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles).These are employed in targeted attacks, frequently in locations difficult to access by conventional forces.advertisementThe second stage of drone application is artificial intelligence. AI drones can navigate on their own, detect targets, and even operate in "swarm" groups which were used by Pakistan to attack India.Drones such as the DJI Matrice 300 are already employing AI in combat zones like Ukraine to find and lock onto threats independent of human assistance.As technology advances, drones will increasingly be utilised for military and civilian missions.EVOLUTION OF UAVsEarlier, even in the 1960s, British Commonwealth artillery regiments started developing drones for target identification and extending their range.Even though the gadgets have advanced over time, their primary application -- surveillance and acquisition of targets -- has remained intact.The past two decades saw US set the trend world-wide with using drones for its counterterrorism action in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, and Yemen with precision attacks minimising personnel risks.It was the Ukraine war that saw a turning point. Russian and Ukrainian forces both used small drones on a massive scale for real-time intelligence and direct attacks.These drones, usually locally constructed, were lower in cost and more maneuverable, better capable of evading modern air defences than big drones such as the Predator or Reaper, which were rapidly displaced.advertisementBy 2023, small drones had evolved to accommodate multiple payloads - from infrared detectors to electronic warfare equipment.As with gas and machine guns during World War I, drones are now evolving faster than the laws intended to regulate them.That makes it imperative for military strategists and policymakers to get ahead -- not only with technology, but with ethics and regulation as well.The United Nations defines targeted killing as the planned and deliberate use of lethal force by a state, its agents, or an armed group during conflict, aimed at a specific person who is not in their custody.Tune InMust Watch