IAF opens first Dronathon-2026 at Pokhran, releases UAS roadmap
Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit inaugurated the IAF's first Dronathon-2026 at Pokhran, where the UAS Roadmap was released and the Vayu UTtaM system demonstrated.
The Indian Air Force opened its first Dronathon-2026 at the Pokhran Field Firing Range in Jaisalmer on Monday, with Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, Vice Chief of the Air Staff, inaugurating the event. Senior officials from the Ministry of Defence and Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff attended the ceremony, along with representatives of the Indian Army and the Border Security Force.
Scheduled over three days from 14 to 16 September 2026, the initiative is intended to give the IAF direct engagement with the country's unmanned systems industry and to evaluate emerging technologies under realistic operational conditions. More than 20 leading defence companies, start-ups, MSMEs, DPSUs and independent innovators are taking part.
The IAF regards unmanned systems as a significant complement to manned aviation, offering commanders added means to extend the reach, persistence, responsiveness and flexibility of air operations. Participating firms are demonstrating their Unmanned Aircraft Systems and related technologies at the range.
The trials cover a broad range of capabilities, including surveillance and reconnaissance, autonomous operations, swarm technologies, electronic warfare and Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems. The stated aim of the event is to shift the focus from technology demonstration towards operational effect, with systems assessed for reliability and effectiveness in demanding and contested environments, and for their ability to adapt to evolving requirements and emerging threats.
On the opening day, the Vice Chief of the Air Staff released the 'IAF UAS Roadmap', which sets out capability priorities for Indian industry. The document is meant to help the unmanned airborne systems sector, academia and research organisations direct their work towards the IAF's future needs.
The IAF also demonstrated a key capability of 'Vayu UTtaM', its indigenously developed multi-mode Unmanned Traffic Management system. In a real-time demonstration at Pokhran, the system detected and tracked both military and civil unmanned aircraft. It is designed to support coordinated management of UAS operations in increasingly congested airspace and to help identify and promptly mitigate unauthorised or rogue drones. Given the growing use of such systems, the IAF sees potential applications for Vayu UTtaM beyond the military sphere, including airspace safety, critical infrastructure, civil aviation and public safety.
Dronathon-2026 reflects the IAF's push for self-reliance in unmanned systems, with attention extending past airframes to the wider ecosystem of propulsion, sensors and payloads, communications, autonomy, electronic warfare, countermeasures and airspace management.