The Indian Air Force (IAF) organized an Industry Outreach Programme on 21 October 2026, engaging with over a hundred representatives from various drone companies and affiliated industry partners. The event provided a platform to discuss IAF's long-term requirements in unmanned and autonomous systems, emphasizing the need for domestic defence ecosystem strengthening.
On 21 October 2026, the Indian Air Force (IAF) hosted an Industry Outreach Programme at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The event aimed to facilitate dialogue between IAF, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), startups, and industry partners regarding the IAF's future needs in unmanned and autonomous systems. Air Marshal Premkumar K, VM, VSM, Director General (Weapon Systems), Air Headquarters presided over the programme.
During the event, approximately 100 representatives from various drone companies participated. This gathering reflected the growing interaction between IAF and India's unmanned systems ecosystem.
The programme offered a formal platform for IAF to express its operational requirements and technological priorities, expanding upon the ‘IAF Unmanned and Autonomous Systems Roadmap’, unveiled during IAF Dronathon 2026 at Pokhran on 14 September 2026. At the event, IAF distributed its 'Roadmap booklet' to industry partners in order to foster a better understanding of IAF's operational requirements in unmanned and autonomous systems.
Recognizing the rapid advancement of air power, the roadmap visualizes a layered and networked family of unmanned systems. The focus is on developing operationally relevant, reliable, and resilient indigenous capabilities that complement existing and future manned platforms.
The IAF underscored that self-reliance (Aatmanirbharta) in unmanned systems is an operational necessity, not just a goal. Critical technology areas identified for focus include indigenous propulsion, autonomous software, resilient navigation, and standardized interfaces to minimize dependence on external sources.
Source:
Press Information Bureau
