The Indian Air Force (IAF) will organise Dronathon-2026 at the Pokhran range in Jaisalmer from September 14 to 16, providing domestic manufacturers an opportunity to showcase their capabilities in unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and counter-unmanned aerial systems (CUAS).
The three-day event will feature static displays and live demonstrations of emerging drone and counter-drone technologies, allowing defence stakeholders to assess their operational capabilities and combat effectiveness.
According to the Ministry of Defence (MoD), Dronathon-2026 is aimed at facilitating interaction between the armed forces and the domestic defence industry while enabling stakeholders to witness technological developments in the rapidly evolving unmanned systems domain.
Focus on advanced drone technologies
The event will focus on key operational areas including surveillance and reconnaissance, autonomous operations, swarm technologies and electronic warfare.
Live demonstrations are expected to provide an opportunity to assess contemporary solutions under operationally relevant conditions and identify technologies that could strengthen the country’s future defence capabilities.
Push for indigenous defence ecosystem
The initiative is aligned with the government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat vision and seeks to strengthen India’s indigenous defence ecosystem by bringing together industry experts, start-ups and innovators.
The Ministry said through such initiatives, the IAF remains committed to building a technologically advanced, indigenous and future ready force capable of meeting security challenges in the rapidly changing operational environment.
