Drones ‘evolutionary, not revolutionary’, no separate drone force planned: IAF chief
04/10/2026
NEW DELHI, Oct 3: Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh on Saturday said drones were "evolutionary" rather than "revolutionary" for the force and ruled out the creation of a separate drone force, stressing that unmanned systems and loitering munitions would be most effective when integrated with other weapons and platforms.
Addressing the IAF's annual press conference in New Delhi, Singh said the force had been operating drone capabilities for decades and was now expanding their numbers, types and operational capabilities.
"Drones are not revolutionary to the Indian Air Force, but evolutionary. We are growing the number of drones and loitering munitions. Whether we need a separate drone force, I don't think so. They should be a part of the same setup, and we have to be operating together," he said.
Singh said different weapon systems should not operate in isolation and emphasised coordinated operations to achieve the desired battlefield effect.
"These have to be together along with other weapons so that they bring in that effect. We cannot be operating one type of weapon separately somewhere and another type of weapon separately," he said.
The IAF chief said the force already had specialised units dealing with unmanned systems and their numbers could be increased if required.
He also highlighted the operational utility of loitering munitions, saying they had helped in creating disruption and targeting air-defence assets, while reiterating that such capabilities had been part of the IAF's inventory for decades.
On fighter aircraft strength, Singh acknowledged that the IAF's aircraft numbers were declining and that delays in planned inductions had affected the force.
"Everybody understands this fact that our numbers are decreasing, the aircraft that were supposed to come, on which we were relying, they have also come slow," he said.
He said the IAF was looking at platforms including the Tejas Mark-1A, Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) and the future Mark-2 fighter to address existing and anticipated capability requirements.
Singh also said that any further delay in the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme could require the IAF to examine alternative options. He noted that Russia had offered its Su-57 fighter aircraft, but clarified that no decision had been taken on the proposal.
The IAF chief stressed that major aircraft programmes needed to be pursued through a "whole-of-nation approach" to ensure timely delivery and development of operational capabilities.
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