India and US Bring Advanced Counter-Drone Warfare Into Yudh Abhyas 2026

India and the United States have begun the 22nd edition of Exercise Yudh Abhyas, with the 2026 iteration introducing advanced counter-drone systems, long-range precision fires and training across both desert and high-altitude terrain.

The exercise runs from September 9 to 28, 2026, and brings together the Indian Army and the United States Army for command-post training, field exercises and a combined live-fire demonstration. This year’s programme begins at the Mahajan Field Firing Ranges near Bikaner in Rajasthan before shifting to Auli in Uttarakhand, giving the two armies experience in two very different operational environments during the same exercise.

One of the most important additions is the deployment of the U.S. Army’s Mobile Low, Slow, Small Unmanned Aircraft Integrated Defeat System, or MLIDS. The U.S. Army describes its deployment to India as a first-of-its-kind development under Yudh Abhyas. The system is designed to detect, track and defeat small unmanned aircraft, bringing the increasingly important counter-UAS mission directly into the bilateral training programme.

The addition reflects changes seen on recent battlefields, where relatively inexpensive drones are now widely used for reconnaissance, artillery spotting, precision strikes and attacks on troops and vehicles. Counter-drone systems have consequently become a standard requirement for formations operating close to the front.

US Multi-Domain Task Force Joins the Exercise

Yudh Abhyas 2026 also includes the U.S. Army’s 3rd Multi-Domain Task Force, bringing long-range precision fires and integrated command-and-control capabilities into the exercise.

Multi-Domain Task Forces are designed to combine conventional land forces with capabilities operating across areas such as long-range fires, intelligence, electronic warfare, cyber and other domains. Their participation gives this year’s exercise a broader character than the infantry-focused training associated with some earlier editions of Yudh Abhyas.

The U.S. contingent also includes soldiers from the 11th Airborne Division, based in Alaska. The division specialises in Arctic and cold-weather operations, making its participation particularly relevant when the exercise moves from Rajasthan to the high-altitude terrain of Uttarakhand.

From Rajasthan’s Desert to the Himalayas

The Rajasthan phase provides space for manoeuvre, artillery employment and long-range precision fires. Reports ahead of the exercise indicated that Indian systems such as the Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher and K9 Vajra self-propelled howitzer were expected to feature in the desert phase, while the U.S. side was expected to employ HIMARS rocket artillery.

The training then moves to Auli in Uttarakhand, where the emphasis changes to mountain warfare, infantry movement, air mobility and logistics at altitude. Auli lies in the Garhwal Himalayas and provides conditions very different from the open desert ranges of Rajasthan.

Indian M777 ultra-light howitzers are expected to be used during the mountain phase. The M777’s relatively low weight allows it to be moved beneath CH-47F Chinook helicopters, giving artillery units access to positions that are difficult for heavier tracked or wheeled guns to reach.

Using both locations in one exercise allows the armies to work through the practical differences between desert and mountain operations. Communications, vehicle mobility, artillery deployment, logistics and casualty evacuation all become more difficult as forces move into steep terrain and higher altitudes.

Counter-Drone Defence Becomes Part of Joint Training

The introduction of MLIDS is particularly relevant because India and the United States are both placing greater emphasis on counter-UAS systems.

MLIDS is intended to deal with small, low-flying and relatively slow drones, the category of unmanned aircraft that has become common in tactical warfare. Such systems combine sensors and electronic

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