The Indian Air Force on Monday began a three-day event, ‘Dronathon 2026’, to give domestic manufacturers a platform to showcase their capabilities and advances in unmanned aerial systems and counter-UAS technologies. The event is being held at the Pokhran range in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer.
Officials said the event is meant to help stakeholders see emerging drone and counter-drone technologies and live demonstrations of how they operate. It is also aimed at linking the IAF with Indian industry and technology developers working in the unmanned domain.
“In line with the national objective of Atmanirbhar Bharat and with a focus on enhancing the IAF’s capabilities in the unmanned domain, ‘Dronathon 2026’ was inaugurated by the Vice Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, at Jaisalmer today,” a senior official said.
The event follows an industry outreach programme undertaken by the IAF to identify and engage Indian industry and technology developers in the unmanned domain. The focus areas include UAS and counter-UAS, the official added.
Participating companies are carrying out live demonstrations of their systems at the Pokhran range. Officials said these demonstrations are intended to assess available technologies against identified operational requirements in the unmanned domain.
The systems and technologies on display include expendable intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems, loitering munitions, UAS with electronic warfare capabilities, logistics and delivery drones, mapping and surveying systems, counter-drone systems, and technologies using artificial intelligence, autonomous navigation, real-time data transmission and advanced payloads, officials said.
The demonstrations cover applications linked to defence and border surveillance, disaster management, infrastructure inspection and other identified civilian uses. Officials said Dronathon 2026 provides an interface between the IAF and industry to understand available technologies and how they fit operational requirements.
The initiative is intended to support interaction with developers and help identify indigenous and scalable solutions in the unmanned domain. The event also includes participation by students and local youth, who are being given an opportunity to see live and static displays of unmanned systems and related technologies.
Officials said Dronathon 2026 is part of the IAF’s continuing engagement with Indian industry for the development and induction of indigenous unmanned capabilities in line with evolving operational requirements.
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Published By:
India Today Web Desk
Published On:
Sep 14, 2026 23:53 IST
