IAF to Hold Dronathon 2026 at Pokhran to Evaluate Indigenous Drone and Counter-Drone Systems

The Indian Air Force will organise Dronathon 2026 at the Pokhran range in Jaisalmer from September 14 to 16, providing Indian companies and startups with an opportunity to demonstrate unmanned aerial systems and counter-drone technologies under operational conditions.

The event will include static displays as well as live demonstrations, allowing the IAF to assess emerging systems for their battlefield relevance and combat effectiveness.

Dronathon 2026 will focus on surveillance and reconnaissance, autonomous operations, swarm technologies and electronic warfare. Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems will also form a major part of the programme as armed forces increasingly confront the challenge posed by small, low-cost and expendable drones.

By holding the event at Pokhran, the IAF will be able to observe systems in a field environment rather than relying only on laboratory or exhibition-level demonstrations. This can provide a clearer assessment of range, endurance, autonomy, resistance to electronic interference and the ability to operate in demanding conditions.

The exercise is also intended to bring together established defence manufacturers, startups, technology developers and other innovators working on unmanned systems.

For domestic companies, the event offers direct exposure to operational users and an opportunity to demonstrate how their systems perform against military requirements. For the IAF, it provides a means to identify technologies that may merit further evaluation, development or induction.

The focus on autonomous systems, swarming and electronic warfare reflects the changing character of air operations. Recent conflicts have shown that drones are increasingly being used for reconnaissance, precision attack, target acquisition, electronic support and saturation missions, while counter-drone systems have become essential for protecting military installations and deployed forces.

India has expanded investment in indigenous unmanned and counter-unmanned technologies in recent years, with participation from defence public sector units, private industry, startups and research organisations.

Dronathon 2026 is intended to bring these capabilities into a common evaluation environment where operational utility can be assessed directly by the Air Force.

The event will run for three days at Pokhran and is expected to provide the IAF with a broad view of the capabilities currently emerging from India’s domestic drone ecosystem.

Source : PIB: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseDetail.aspx?PRID=2307811&reg=48&lang=1