The Indian Army has initiated the process to acquire indigenous long-range, one-way attack drones capable of striking targets up to 1,000 km away, as it looks to strengthen its deep-strike capabilities with AI-enabled systems. The procurement is being pursued under the Long Range Loiter Munition (LRLM) programme through the Make-II route of the defence acquisition policy.
The procurement is being pursued under the Long Range Loiter Munition (LRLM) programme through the Make-II route of the defence acquisition policy. The Army is looking for drones that can accurately engage targets at a range of 1,000 km, operate in GPS-denied environments and feature artificial intelligence-enabled targeting capabilities. The platform should be capable of carrying a 25-kg warhead with a 50-metre kill radius, fly at altitudes above 5,000 metres and achieve speeds of at least 400 kmph.
Under this framework, private companies will fund their own research and development, while the Army will procure the systems if they meet the required technical specifications. While the exact order size has not been finalised, the armed forces are expected to require thousands of one-way attack drones across different operational ranges.
