NEW DELHI: With drones emerging as a decisive factor in contemporary conflicts, the Indian Army is working on raising dedicated “Shaurya” squadrons within its Armoured Corps to embed UAV-led surveillance and precision strike capabilities into mechanised operations.
The concept was successfully demonstrated during Exercise Amogh Jwala last week at the Babina Field Firing Ranges, where Southern Army Commander Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth witnessed a Shaurya Squadron in action.
Sharing details on X on Sunday, Southern Command said, “Fielded in a realistic battle environment, Shaurya Squadron demonstrated the seamless integration of real-time surveillance assets with mechanised forces, attack helicopters, swarm strikes and coordinated firepower, enhancing battlefield awareness, compressing the sensor-to-shooter cycle and enabling swift, decisive battlefield response.”
Sources clarified that the concept is still at a nascent stage, with more trials planned before it receives formal approval for induction.
Currently, the Army fields around 63 armoured regiments, each equipped with about 45 tanks, including T-72, T-90 and Arjun variants.
In the Armoured Corps, the regiment is the basic combat unit. A typical regiment comprises three combat squadrons and a headquarters squadron, with each squadron (equivalent to an infantry company) having around 120 personnel.
“The Shaurya Squadrons will be equipped with swarm drones and first-person view (FPV) drones for real-time surveillance and precision strikes against armour and logistics targets,” a source said.
“The aim is to compress the sensor-to-shooter cycle and push drone capability down to the unit level for faster targeting and engagement,” the source added.
In parallel, the Army is equipping tanks and mechanised platforms with counter-unmanned aerial systems (CUAS), comprising both soft-kill and hard-kill capabilities, to address the threat posed by hostile drones.
The drone-centric approach builds on a broader push to institutionalise unmanned capabilities across arms. In the infantry, the Army last year raised Ashni platoons, equipped with surveillance UAVs and loitering munitions for tactical ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) and strike roles.
In the artillery, Divyastra batteries have been raised under a 'save and raise' approach to integrate UAV-based targeting with conventional guns for faster and more autonomous engagement cycles.
The Army has also raised dedicated drone and loitering munition units in the artillery, known as 'Shaktibaan' formations, for long-range precision strikes using unmanned systems.