The Indian Air Force (IAF) is set to showcase India’s growing indigenous capabilities in drone warfare and counter-drone technology during Dronathon-2026, a three-day event scheduled to be held at the Pokhran Range in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, from September 14 to 16, 2026. The initiative is aimed at providing domestic defence manufacturers, startups, innovators and technology developers with a platform to demonstrate advancements in Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (CUAS).
The event will include both static displays and live demonstrations, allowing participating organisations and defence stakeholders to evaluate emerging drone and counter-drone technologies in operationally relevant conditions. Areas expected to receive attention include surveillance, autonomous operations, swarm technologies and systems designed to detect, track and counter hostile unmanned platforms.
Dronathon-2026 reflects the IAF’s increasing focus on integrating unmanned technologies into future air operations while encouraging greater participation from India’s domestic defence industry. The event is also expected to facilitate interaction and mutual learning between the armed forces, established defence manufacturers, startups and technology innovators.
The growing importance of drones in modern warfare has made both offensive unmanned systems and counter-drone capabilities a major priority for militaries worldwide. For India, initiatives such as Dronathon provide an opportunity to assess home-grown technologies while identifying systems that could potentially strengthen operational capabilities and reduce dependence on overseas solutions.
The Pokhran event also aligns with the broader Atmanirbhar Bharat objective in defence, with greater emphasis being placed on developing and deploying indigenous technologies. By bringing manufacturers and innovators closer to the operational requirements of the armed forces, the IAF aims to encourage practical development of drone technologies suited to future battlefield requirements.
With Dronathon-2026, the IAF is therefore positioning drones, autonomous systems and counter-drone technologies as an important part of India’s evolving air-power ecosystem. The demonstrations at Pokhran are expected to provide valuable insight into the maturity and operational potential of the country’s emerging indigenous unmanned technologies.