Projected Requirement for Tethered Drones

The Technology Perspective and Capability Roadmap (TPCR) 2025 directly mentions the requirement for 5,000 tethered drones, designed for round-the-clock surveillance in high-altitude operational areas up to 18,000 feet. The Army has clearly articulated operating norms—these drones must work in extreme temperatures ranging from −50°C to +45°C and deliver up to 9 hours of persistent aerial surveillance in tethered mode, vital for both border regions and forward posts.

Tender Requirements

The latest RFI calls for 5,000 tethered drone systems, reflecting immediate operational needs for surveillance, both day and night, with enhanced data relay and communications support.

The tender documents specify the altitude, endurance, payload, data security, and ruggedization criteria. Companies need to demonstrate proven operational deployment in similar environments. Requirements include high wind resistance, encrypted communications, failsafe systems for power and control, and modular payloads for different mission profiles, including EO/IR cameras, radar, and radio relays.

Some of the important specifications are as follows:

• Operating Altitude: Up to 18,000 feet—securing supremacy in the most challenging mountainous regions.
• Environmental Extremity: Functioning from a frigid −50oC to a scorching +45oC.
• Surveillance Endurance: A minimum of 9 hours of continuous flight in tethered mode.

Indian and global OEMs are invited, with an explicit preference for indigenous manufacturing under Make in India and offset clauses for global buys. This large-scale procurement is highly likely to trigger India’s mandatory Defence Offset Policy. Foreign OEMs must reinvest 30% of the contract value back into India via avenues like Joint Ventures (JVs), Transfer of Technology (ToT), or co-manufacturing. The 30% Offset Obligation applies to all ‘Buy (Global)’ capital acquisitions valued at ₹2,000 Crore (approx. $240 mn) or more.

Employment and Operational Use

Tethered drones are to be deployed along the Line of Control (LoC), Line of Actual Control (LAC), and Siachen, giving persistent overwatch in difficult terrain where conventional deployments are challenged.

Used in network-centric operations, tethered drones can function as airborne radio and data relays for forward units.

Some advanced deployments include jammers and electronic warfare payloads to disrupt hostile drones or signal.

Contemporary Success Stories in Conflict Zones

Ukraine: Tethered drones have been instrumental in trench warfare, offering persistent reconnaissance and communications relays for forces under constant threat, with minimal risk of power/battery shortages or loss due to electronic warfare.

Israel: Used extensively for border surveillance, anti-infiltration, and integrating with automated searchlights and long-range sensors.

Indian Deployments: The Army is already fielding limited numbers in sensitive zones, reporting enhanced situational awareness, reduced intrusions, and successful coordination in joint operations.

Leading Indian Manufacturers in Tethered Drones

BEL. Bharat Electronics Limited has launched multiple tethered UAV models tailored for defence surveillance and communications in harsh conditions. The BEL’s tethered UAV system is a hexacopter designed for high-endurance surveillance and monitoring, It is capable of rising to 100 meters, providing 6 hours continuous operation per sortie (with a rest cycle for cooling). It offers Electro-optic infrared (EO/IR) sensors for both day and night operations, with surveillance range up to 2 km in daylight, 1 km at night. It can be launched from ground vehicles, ships, or static positions for “virtual mast” surveillance, perimeter monitoring, and border security. It has emergency battery operation in case of power failure and modular payload options.

Dhaksha Unmanned Systems. It provides rugged and modular tethered UAV systems under the DH-Tethered UAV series, supporting both military and police applications. The DH-Tethered UAV is of hexacopter design, operating at heights of 100 meters; 24-hour endurance on continuous power supply, 1.5 kg payload, 20 km/h wind resistance. It has a combined EO and thermal camera, gimbal and video stabilization, day/night persistent tracking. It can be assembled in <10 minutes, and is foldable for compact storage. It has direct linking to command and control systems, indigenous winching enclosure, automatic winching and power management.

NewSpace Research & Technologies. The Nimbus Scope model is their flagship tethered drone, developed for super high-altitude and persistent ISR. Its key features are – Twin aerial vehicles per system, up to 200 feet altitude, at least 6 hours continuous tethered operation, 45 mins untethered. It has advanced EO and IR sensors, modular payloads for surveillance and communication. With portable GCS, robust generator, tether/winch station, backup batteries, it is optimized for high-altitude environments such as the LAC.

AERIAL IQ. The Aviral tethered drone, marketed as India’s leading persistent surveillance platform, has long airborne endurance (reported up to 24 hours by product coverage), is immune to jamming with fiber-optic tether, autonomous flight/landing, remote operation from vehicles/vessels. It has high configurable payload capacity—EO/IR sensors, radios, tactical communications modules. It is designed for rapid fielding, mobile units, and secure data relaying for military, fire, and emergency services.

Foreign Players

The leading foreign companies best known for tethered drones include Elistair (France/USA), Hoverfly Technologies (USA), Drone Aviation (USA), Fotokite (Switzerland), DJI (China), and Novadem (France). For policy reasons, DJI will not be eligible to collaborate.

Elistair (France/USA). Widely regarded as the global leader in tethered drone solutions, offering award-winning products like the Orion 2 for defense, law enforcement, and industrial use.

Hoverfly Technologies (USA). Specializes in advanced tethered drone systems designed for persistent surveillance and security in harsh environments.

Drone Aviation (USA). Known for its tactical tethered drones used by military agencies for persistent observation.

Fotokite (Switzerland). Renowned for actively tethered drones used in public safety, emergency response, and fire departments worldwide.Novadem (France). Provides tethered drone systems for law enforcement and defense customers, especially in Europe.

Globally, Elistair is consistently identified as the market leader for tethered drones, holding a substantial share especially in defense and security applications. Hoverfly Technologies and Fotokite follow as significant players with strong presences in North America and Europe, respectively. DJI possesses a notable share in commercial and inspection sectors but is not dominant in the defense market.

Conclusion This procurement not only sets new standards in drone endurance and sophistication but is also poised to transform India’s defence manufacturing ecosystem, leveraging the defence offset policy to bring in new investments, JV opportunities, and advanced technological capabilities for indigenous industries. The scale and ambition of the Indian Army’s tethered drone programme are set to make it one of the largest deployments globally, placing India at the forefront of persistent surveillance and unmanned defence technology.

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“The Drone Jammer (Manportable) will be capable of detection and jamming of all types of drones and quadcopters in field conditions. The system will comprise of radio frequency (RF) and other requisite sensors to achieve target detection and engagement,” a request for proposal (RFP) issued by the Ministry of Defence on January 20 states.

The system will be effective against drones by jamming control, communication uplink as well as downlink, data and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) links. “The inputs of all sensors should be amalgamated through a C2 (command and control) system to facilitate efficient operation of the system,” the RFP further states.

The Army’s requirement is for systems that have a range of at least 5 km for target identification and acquisition and a range of 2 km or above for executing jamming counter measures against hostile drones.

These should also be suitable for varied terrain and climatic conditions, including high altitude areas with extremely cold weather, having an operating temperature range from minus 10 degree Celsius to 45 degree Celsius.

Defining specifications for electronic countermeasures, the RFP states that it should be possible to engage drones in the frequencies 100 MHz to 6 GHz or better. “The System should be able to simultaneously jam GNSS (BeiDou, GPS, GLONASS and IRNSS), command and control data and telemetry links of the target drones,” it adds. The system would have a threat library of all known drones’ signatures, which would be updated regularly.

The RFP for man-portable jammers comes close on the heels of another RFP floated on January 18 for the procurement of 20 vehicle mounted drone jammers capable of detecting, tracking and neutralising drones or drone swarms from multiple directions simultaneously over longer ranges.

Several types of anti-drone systems are being used by the armed forces as well as border guarding forces to counter drones. Extensive research and development is also being undertaken in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles as well as counter drone measures by government as well as private agencies.

Drones of various sizes as well as capabilities are being deployed for surveillance, reconnaissance, offensive operations as well as for logistic support in remote areas. These are also being increasingly used for nefarious activities like cross-border smuggling of narcotics, weapons and fake currency.

In 2022, the Border Security Force (BSF) reported a three-fold increase in drone activities over the previous year along the western border with Pakistan that runs through the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The number of drone activities went up from 100 in 2021 to 304 in 2022.

This year there have already been several incidents of drones being spotted or shot down in the vicinity of the International Border in Punjab, with weapons and narcotics being seized by the BSF.

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Gen Dwivedi said the security agencies have also identified all the places where weapons are being dropped to ensure that terrorists, who are running short of arms, do not get hold of the weapons.

“Drone is an evolving technology and in the coming days, you will see action from both sides – they (Pakistan) will try to send drones (with weapons and drugs), we will deploy counter-measures using technology,” the Army commander told reporters here on the sidelines of a programme to mark the platinum jubilee of the historic “Poonch Link-up Day”.

Lt Gen. Dwivedi said terrorists are present in Jammu and Kashmir but despite planning to carry out an operation, they are not able to strike due to a shortage of weapons.

“We have installed counter-drone equipment at different places and are also looking at those places where drones were used to drop weapons. We have earmarked those places and are taking appropriate action so that terrorists cannot get the weapons,” he said.

Sending a strong message to youngsters in the valley, Lt Gen. Dwivedi said they have to come forward and support the Army, which is doing its best to ensure a bright future for them.

He added that nobody benefitted by joining terror ranks over the last 30 years.

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The Ministry of Defence, on 25 October, came out with the request for proposal (RFP) for such UAVs which will be processed as per the fast-track procurement procedure under the “emergency procurement”.

The RFP is part of the tendering process seeking commercial and technical bids from suppliers. Some 750 such drones are needed. “The current volatile situation along the northern borders warrants expeditious procurement of operational equipment,” the RFP document said. The Army is looking for UAVs that can provide round-the-clock surveillance with ability to scan the target area and provide a processed 3D scanned image of the target to execute special missions. The MoD wants to keep out any Chinese parts and has asked the vendor to provide NATO stock number (NSN) for each item provided by a foreign maker.

This equipment will be deployed for situational awareness and short-range surveillance that will enable the special forces to execute pin-point precision strikes during direct action tasks. The Army wants the UAV to be about 2 kg in weight and be operable by one person. The UAV needs to have an endurance of 30 minutes and be able to operate indoors and in GPS-denied areas.

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The last date for submission of bids for the remotely piloted aircraft programme is November 16.

“The system will be able to provide high resolution imagery to enable target detection, recognition, identification and accurate location of adversary’s location as well as build up of troops,” said an official.

According to the request for proposal or initial tender, the select supplier will have to supply the platforms within 12 months of signing the contract.

The mini remotely piloted aircraft systems are being procured under the ‘buy’ (Indian) category.

The Army’s procurement of 1,000 surveillance copters through fast track procedure under emergency procurement process is also aimed at boosting surveillance along the frontier with China.

Officials said the current dynamic volatile situation along the Northern borders warrants seamless surveillance.

“For surveillance needs of the Indian Army, expeditious procurement of surveillance copters for meeting urgent operational requirements is an operational imperative, where undue/unforeseen delay is seen to be adversely impacting the capacity and preparedness of the Indian Army,” according to a brief on the programme.

It said the surveillance copter will provide aerial surveillance capability and sustained point surveillance to the Indian Army.

Surveillance Copter is an ideal multi sensor system to carry out day and night, real time reconnaissance and surveillance.

“The system will provide high resolution imagery to enable target detection, recognition, identification and accurate location of adversaries’ build up,” said an official.

The last date for submission of bids for the programme is November 17.

The Army has been ramping up its overall combat capabilities in view of the lingering border row in eastern Ladakh.

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Drone Airspace Map was published on September 24 last year, opening up nearly 90 per cent of Indian airspace as a green zone for drones flying up to 400 feet, said Singh.

“Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for drones was also notified on September 30 last year as well as UAS Traffic Management (UTM) Policy Framework was published on October 24 last year,” said the Minister.

A monetary grant programme for the purchase of agricultural drones was announced by the Union Agriculture Ministry on January 22 this year, and all application forms under Drone Rules, 2021 were also made online on the Digital Sky Platform on January 26.

Singh said that the drone certification scheme was notified on January 26 this year and the mission “Drone Shakti” was also announced for supporting drone startups and promoting Drone-as-a-Service (DrAAS) as part of the Union Budget on February 1.

Besides, the drone import policy was notified on February 9, banning the import of foreign drones and freeing up the import of drone components.

He further mentioned that Drone (Amendment) Rules, 2022 were notified on February 11, abolishing the requirement of a drone pilot licence. Now a remote pilot certificate is issued by a Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) authorised Remote Pilot Training Organisations (RPTO) which is adequate for the remote pilot to operate drones.

Drones Rules, 2021 notified on August 25 last year, provide the necessary regulatory framework for the civilian or commercial use of drones.

These rules cover various aspects like type certification, registration and operation of drones, airspace restrictions, research, development and testing of drones, training and licensing, offences and penalties.

“An airspace map of the country segregating the entire airspace into red, yellow and green zones is available on the digital sky platform. The operation of drones in red and yellow zones is subject to the approval of the Central Government and the concerned Air Traffic Control (ATC) authority respectively. No approval is required for the operation of drones in green zones,” the Ministry said.

He said drones are required to have the necessary type certification issued by the DGCA, and that no type certification is however required in case of nano drones (up to 250 gram all-up weight) and model drones made for research and recreation purposes.

The Minister said the owner and operators of drones are required to furnish the necessary personal details including their Indian passport number for issuance of any registration or licence.

“Authorisation of RPTO will be done by DGCA within specified time limits,” said Singh.

As of July 20, there were 27 RPTOs authorised by DGCA. Of these, three RPTOs are located in Gujarat– Blue Ray Aviation Pvt. Ltd., Kaushalya- The Skill University and Sanskardham Drone Academy.

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Nature of Warfare

Over the past few decades, there have been many prophecies about how drones will transform the nature of warfare and how “drone swarms” could overwhelm enemies in combat. While there is no doubt that unmanned warfare is evolving fast, the “era of the drone” is yet to arrive because countries that use them often do not deploy enough of them, or are afraid to lose them in battle. Despite widespread employment, drones did not stop the Taliban in Afghanistan.

When Russia invaded Ukraine, it put a renewed spotlight on the use of armed drones in conventional wars. The world saw how armed drones might work when both countries have them — and both have air defences that can shoot them down.

Turkish Bayraktar drones showed they can change the “nature of warfare” in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. But contemplating air war based on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict or the Ukraine-Russia war needs closer analysis. In the latter, the success of the Bayraktar was unclear. Even kamikaze drones did not turn the tide in Ukraine. The limits of drone warfare appeared to be on display.

Any air war, more so in the context of the subcontinent, would involve an entire array of aerial operations and combat air support campaigns. To counter drones, the capabilities of the enemy drone assets need evaluation before countering them through anti-drone measures and other means.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)

The stand-off at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China has accelerated the acquisition of more drones. Impressed with the performance of the two leased Sea Guardian drones, the Navy, Army and the Air Force are considering procurement of combat drones.

Military Applications of UAVs.

Some of the important uses include:

• Information, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance (ISTAR).
• Unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV).
• Radar and Communication Relay.
• Mapping Military Logistics.
• Nuclear Cloud Surveillance.

Armed Drones. ADE has completed the development of the Rustom-2 TAPAS (Tactical Airborne Platform for Aerial Surveillance) MALE UAV (a MQ-1 category drone). Hindustan Aeronautics Limited will soon start the production of first five units of TAPAS drones. The optimally armed drone has already met all its revised qualitative requirements. It can fly at an altitude of 28,000 feet and has an endurance of 18 hours.

In total 76 units of this UAV will be ordered by forces. There will be 60 drones for Indian Army, 12 for the Indian Air Force and 4 for the Indian Navy.

Drone Technology

What information technology was in the 90s, drone technology is today. Technologies that the nation needs to invest in, are:

• Powertrain Technology – Brushless Direct Current (BLDC) Motor.
• Powertrain Technology – Fuel-Run Motor
• Powertrain Technology – Electronics
• Flight Controller
• Battery Technology
• Datalink Technology
• Making Bandwidth Available For Civilian Use

Some emerging technologies have the potential to enhancing effectiveness of drones, viz,

Artificial Intelligence. AI can help machines perceive and learn from Big Data to mimic and improve upon human cognitive functions like learning and problem solving.

Internet of Things (IoT). A network of connected devices, robots and instruments, embedded with sensors can communicate with other objects to         exchange data and information over the internet. Drones can act as first responders to an accident site and transmit real-time information to rescue agencies.

Indian Air Force

A Combat Air Teaming System (CATS) is a planned unmanned and manned combat aircraft air teaming system being developed by HAL, which is of interest to the IAF. An armed stealth drone will team up and fight alongside IAF fighters to hit high-value enemy targets. It is designed to carry out MUM-T Operations.

The Unmanned Wingman will be connected to a heavily upgraded IAF Jaguar fighter bomber; pilots onboard which will assign specific tasks to each of the unmanned drones which fly alongside the fighter. The drone will also operate with other platforms.

HAL is designing & developing AI powered, stealthy autonomous swarm drones known as ALFA-S. Sheer numbers of the swarm would overwhelm enemy defences such as surface-to-air missile units to ensure a high probability of mission success. The drones are meant to be launched from any Indian Air Force aircraft – fighter jets and transports.

DRDO is developing the Ghatak which is an UCAV for the IAF. The Aura UCAV will be a tactical stealth aircraft capable of delivering laser-guided strike weapons.

Indian Army

The army’s existing unmanned systems’ fleet comprises Heron medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) UAVs, and the smaller Searcher Mark II tactical drones.

The Army plans to buy high-tech unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to strengthen its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities and improve the effectiveness of its military operations.

Indian Navy

The Indian Navy currently operates Israeli-origin Heron and Searcher Mk-II UAVs, but neither is shipborne. It also has Sea Guardian drones on lease.

The Indian Navy announced its plans, in June 2022, to acquire 40 Naval Unmanned Aerial Systems (NUAS) for more than 100 meters long warships. The NUAS would be used for surveillance activities, including signals intelligence (SIGINT), target acquisition, surveillance, and maritime domain awareness surrounding a naval task forc as well as Search-and-Rescue (SAR), anti-piracy, and anti-terrorist operations.

The Indian Navy once partially funded a joint effort by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to convert the Chetak helicopter into an autonomous drone platform due to its need for the capabilities over time. The project, named naval rotary UAV (NRUAV), failed due to technological difficulties.

Research & Development

DRDO tested, in early-July 2022, the Autonomous Flying Wing Technology Demonstrator, which is a major step ahead of developing unmanned aerial combat vehicles (UCAV), primarily for the Indian Air Force. A deck launched version for the Indian Navy is also said to be in the pipeline. The UCAV will be capable of launching missiles and precision-guided munitions.

Countering Drones

Drones are hard to detect, do not have a significant visual, radar, infra-red or noise signature, and require minimal infrastructure to launch and control. Drones are best countered by effective jamming and laser systems.

DRDO’s D-4 anti-drone system can provide both “soft kill” (jamming of hostile drones) and “hard kill” (a laser-based destruction method) options to the military to tackle fast-emerging aerial threats. It has been used for VIP protection on National Days’ events.

Adani Defence & Aerospace has linked with DRDO and Israel’s Elbit Systems to begin deploying counter-UAS equipment in some of the country’s major airports.

UAV Industry

According to the Civil Aviation Minister, by 2026, the Indian drone industry will achieve a turnover of over Rs 15,000 crore. India is home to 270 startups in the drone technologies business. He has stated that the country will be a global leader in drones by 2030.

PLI Scheme. The government announced the Production-Linked Incentive scheme on 16 Sep 2021 which provides for funding 20 per cent of the “value addition” made by the company during the next three years. The value addition is calculated as the annual sales revenue from drones and drone components. 14 drone companies have already been selected as beneficiaries.

Joint Ventures. The first private UAV manufacturing complex has been set up at Adani Aerospace Park in Hyderabad to assemble unmanned aerial platforms including manufacturing of Hermes 900 Unmanned Aerial Platforms and marketing it to international customers.

Training

Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU) signed a MoU, in July 2022, with a private drone service provider and training organisation, to set up a ‘Remote Pilot Training Centre’ (RPTC) to teach drone flying to defence/security forces personnel as well as citizens on a private partnership model near Gandhinagar. The RPTC will have DGCA certified drone trainers teaching the trainees regarding quadcopters with strict adherence to certification necessities.

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