The last few years have been tumultuous, haven’t they? Several parts of the world have turned into battlefields — just look at the Russia-Ukraine war and Israel-Gaza war. And in May, when Indian innocents were killed by the enemy, we retaliated with fire and fury through Operation Sindoor. The enemy shuddered as we harnessed the skies and launched missile strikes on them.
But defence is a constantly evolving realm — Israel already has the Iron Dome, and the United States is thinking of building a Golden Dome, a vast network of satellites and weapons in Earth’s orbit set to cost $175 billion.
Countries are realising more than ever how important it is to have a strong layer of protection to quell their enemies. Indrajaal Infra, a counter-drone system developed by Indrajaal Drone Defence India, serves this purpose. CEO and co-founder Kiran Raju offers valuable insights in a conversation with CE.
Excerpts
You have recently launched a counter-drone system called Indrajaal Infra. Tell us about it.
Military, industrial, and civilian assets are increasingly vulnerable to drone attacks — a threat rising with the accessibility of advanced drone tech. Even basic users can now deploy drones that evade traditional defences and cause serious damage. A stark example came on June 1, when $400 Ukrainian drones destroyed around 40 Russian aircraft, inflicting nearly $7 billion in damage and shaking global oil and gas markets.
That’s why we built Indrajaal. Just as we once built walls for ground intrusions, today we need a protective dome in the sky. Indrajaal Infra is that dome; it is a fully autonomous, AI-powered drone defence system designed to protect large areas and critical infrastructure. Once deployed, Indrajaal scans airspace 24/7, detects and identifies threats, and deploys countermeasures. It integrates technologies such as radars, RF jammers, GNSS spoofers, and direction-finding sensors into a seamless unit.
Powering all this is SkyOS, our AI platform that makes real-time decisions with speed and accuracy. Built on a multi-layered, plug-and-play architecture, SkyOS delivers complete Detect-Track-Identify-Mitigate (DTIM) capability.
Indrajaal can protect anything from a single facility to an entire city. It can be deployed in under 48 hours, works in all weather, and neutralises threats with zero collateral damage. Designed for India’s unique challenges, it is modular, mobile, power-resilient, and evolves with emerging threats.
We’ve heard that Indrajaal has an R&D Command and Control Centre. Could you share more?
Indrajaal operates a fully functional Command and Control Centre at the core of our 80-acre R&D campus in Hyderabad. This is the nerve centre of our counter-drone ecosystem: It is a next-gen hub where hardware, software, AI, and tactical strategies converge.
At its heart is a cutting-edge command container system featuring a military-grade command table used to run and evolve SkyOS. This isn’t a static control room; it’s a dynamic battlefield simulation environment where we test, refine, and stress-test our technologies against real-world scenarios. The facility includes advanced equipment like jammers, spoofers, kamikaze drones, cyber takeover tools, and EO/IR sensors. It’s designed to support rapid innovation and real-time threat analysis.
Sensors are critical to most counter-drone systems. However, false alarms — for example, misidentifying a bird as a drone — can pose challenges. How does Indrajaal address such issues?
Many systems rely on preset rules and still need human input. Indrajaal, however, is fully autonomous. It fuses data from multiple sensors and uses AI to distinguish between harmless objects and real threats. SkyOS takes this further by analysing radar patterns, radio signals, flight behaviours, and GPS data to make accurate decisions. This drastically reduces false alarms and eliminates wasted action on non-threats. At the same time, we’ve built in secure remote access, allowing human intervention if needed. So, while Indrajaal operates independently, manual control is always an option.
What is the maximum altitude at which your system can detect drones? For instance, can it detect targets at 5 km?
Yes, Indrajaal can detect drones flying at altitudes of 5 km and beyond, depending on the drone’s size and type. This is achieved through a combination of long-range radar, RF sensors, and electro-optical cameras working together for high-altitude detection.
Autonomous drones using GPS navigation are harder to detect. How does Indrajaal handle them?
These drones pose a serious challenge since they don’t emit RF signals, making them invisible to conventional detectors. Indrajaal counters this with a multi-layered strategy.
First, we use advanced radars to detect the drone’s movement and physical signature. Once identified, GPS spoofing is used to confuse the drone’s navigation. If spoofing fails, on-demand interceptors are deployed to physically neutralise the threat.
Since October 2023, Israel has reportedly used a laser-based air defence system to shoot down drones over 40 times. Lasers are often seen as a cost-effective alternative to missiles in long-term conflicts. What are your thoughts on this?
Lasers are valuable in certain scenarios but not a one-size-fits-all solution. They require significant power, complex cooling, and a clear line of sight — all of which can be compromised by dust, fog, or rain. In India, these limitations matter.
Indrajaal’s strength lies in its multi-layered approach, which combines GPS spoofing, kinetic interceptors, and AI. It’s energy-efficient, effective across varied environments, and capable of up to 99% threat neutralisation. Our system also requires fewer personnel, making it more cost-effective over its lifecycle.
The IAF chief recently urged private players to build world-class military equipment, even without immediate profits. Your response?
We fully support the IAF chief’s call. Building advanced defence systems isn’t about short-term returns but about securing the nation and preparing for future threats. We’re committed to supporting our armed forces through autonomous, next-gen solutions designed for India’s evolving defence needs. In today’s context of rising border tensions, we must rethink defence procurement.
A capability-as-a-service model is the future. This will deliver readiness, scalability, and tech superiority as a managed service, not just through capital-heavy purchases.
Your vision for Indian defence.
Anti-drone systems must be integrated, not isolated. Aerial threats are dynamic and borderless. That’s why we’re working on Project Lakshman Rekha, a national initiative to establish a ‘Drone Wall’ along India’s western and northeastern borders. This will serve as the backbone of a nationwide counter-drone grid, capable of detecting and neutralising threats across vast areas.
But we’re not stopping at defence. Secure airspace is the foundation for the future of Urban Air Mobility (UAM). Without it, drone-based logistics, transport, or public safety cannot scale. So, we’re also building the infrastructure for a secure drone economy — including drone highways, ports, and charging networks.