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New Delhi: The Indian Air Force is set to organise Dronathon-2026 at the Pokhran range in Jaisalmer from September 14 to 16, bringing Indian manufacturers, defence start-ups and innovators together to demonstrate the latest Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and Counter-UAS (CUAS) technologies.
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The three-day event will feature both static displays and live demonstrations, allowing the armed forces to assess emerging technologies and evaluate their operational and combat effectiveness.
Dronathon-2026 will focus on technologies covering surveillance and reconnaissance, autonomous operations, swarm technology and electronic warfare.
This is particularly significant as drones and counter-drone systems are becoming increasingly important on modern battlefields. The ability to detect, track and neutralise hostile unmanned systems is now emerging as a critical component of air and ground operations.
The live demonstrations at Pokhran will therefore provide an opportunity to move beyond laboratory claims and examine how these systems perform under realistic operational conditions.
The event is also designed to connect the IAF with domestic manufacturers, start-ups and innovators, helping identify contemporary solutions for future operational requirements.
For India's defence industry, such events can provide a direct pathway for emerging technologies to move from prototype and demonstration stages towards military adoption.
The IAF's initiative comes as India seeks to rapidly build indigenous capabilities in a domain where technology is evolving at an exceptionally fast pace.
By bringing UAS and CUAS developers together with military users and evaluating their systems in a common operational environment, Dronathon-2026 could help identify technologies that are genuinely ready for battlefield requirements.
(Defence Watch– India’s Defence News centre that places the spotlight on Defence Manufacturing, Defence Technology, Strategy and Military affairs is on Twitter. Follow us here and stay updated.)
