The Indian Air Force (IAF) has showcased its indigenous Vayu UTtaM multi-mode Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) system during Dronathon-2026 at the Pokhran Field Firing Range in Rajasthan. The demonstration was conducted as part of the IAF’s three-day Dronathon-2026 event, held from September 14 to 16, with a focus on evaluating emerging unmanned and counter-unmanned technologies in realistic operational conditions.
During the demonstration, Vayu UTtaM successfully detected and tracked both military and civil Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), demonstrating its role in managing unmanned aircraft operations in increasingly congested airspace. The system is also designed to support the identification and timely mitigation of unauthorised or rogue drones, providing an additional capability for maintaining airspace safety.
The demonstration comes as drone usage continues to expand across military, commercial and civilian applications. Effective unmanned traffic management has therefore become increasingly important for coordinating different types of unmanned aircraft while maintaining safe operations.
According to the Ministry of Defence, Vayu UTtaM has potential applications across areas including airspace safety, civil aviation, critical infrastructure and public safety. Its multi-mode architecture is intended to provide a coordinated approach to monitoring and managing unmanned aircraft activity.
Dronathon-2026 provided the IAF with an opportunity to assess a range of indigenous unmanned technologies developed by Indian defence companies, start-ups, MSMEs, DPSUs and other technology organisations. More than 20 participants demonstrated capabilities covering areas such as surveillance and reconnaissance, autonomous systems, swarm technologies, electronic warfare and Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems.
The event also saw the release of the IAF UAS Roadmap, which is intended to provide Indian industry, academia and research organisations with greater clarity about the Air Force’s future requirements in the unmanned systems domain. The roadmap covers a broader ecosystem involving platforms, propulsion, sensors, payloads, communications, autonomy, electronic warfare, countermeasures and airspace management.
The Vayu UTtaM demonstration at Pokhran represents another step in the development of India’s indigenous unmanned-aircraft management capabilities. Through initiatives such as Dronathon-2026, the IAF is providing industry with opportunities to demonstrate technologies under operationally relevant conditions while identifying systems that can contribute to future unmanned and autonomous warfare requirements.