New Delhi, October 3, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh on Saturday said drones were an evolutionary rather than revolutionary capability for the IAF, ruling out the need for a separate force dedicated to drones and loitering munitions.
Acknowledging the role of loitering munitions in creating disruption and targeting adversaries, Singh said the IAF had been operating such capabilities in various forms for decades.
“As far as a separate drone force is concerned, in the Indian Air Force, these things have existed for decades. These capabilities have been with us for decades. So, if I can say, drones are not revolutionary to the Indian Air Force. Yes, they are evolutionary,” he said.
Speaking to the media ahead of Air Force Day, the IAF chief said the number and variety of drones and munitions in the force were increasing. However, he did not see a requirement for a separate drone force, stressing that these capabilities should operate alongside other weapons systems.
“These have to be together along with other weapons so that they bring in that effect. We cannot operate one type of weapon separately somewhere and another type of weapon separately. So, we have not thought of having a separate force, not at all,” he said.
Singh, however, indicated that the IAF already had specialised drone units and could increase their numbers if operational requirements demanded it.
On the multilateral exercise Tarang Shakti, the Air Chief said such exercises were intended to strengthen cooperation, improve interoperability and enable participating air forces to learn from each other’s operational experience.
He said the current edition had brought new aircraft and participating countries to India, with F-35 aircraft taking part in a multilateral exercise in the country for the first time. Some countries were also participating as observers for the first time.
Singh said the exercise would help participating forces improve coordination, communication and their ability to operate together, adding that all sides were expected to take away important lessons.
Tarang Shakti is being held at Jodhpur Airbase from September 26 to October 12, with more than 80 aircraft and over 2,000 personnel from 40 countries participating.
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