Archive · 15 Sep 2026
Drones and Training Are Reimagining India’s Modern Infantryman
India’s infantry soldiers are learning to fight with much more than rifles.
They are increasingly using drones, cameras, thermal sights and secure communications.
Small units can use quadcopters to see beyond nearby terrain.
This can make a task that once took hours take only minutes.
The Indian Army is creating new units focused on drones and related technology.
Colonel Shekhar Attri says future soldiers may carry more tools for seeing than for shooting.
These tools can help soldiers understand what is happening before a fight begins.
However, soldiers still need strong training to use the technology properly.
His main point is that technology helps before contact, but training helps win the war.
Modern infantry is increasingly equipped with drones, thermal sights, digital communications and counter-drone systems.
The Indian Army is developing Bhairav battalions and Ashni drone platoons.
Colonel Shekhar Attri says soldiers may carry more surveillance technology than weapons.
Quadcopters can help small units survey terrain in minutes instead of hours.
Attri says technology helps before combat, while training determines performance during war.
- Who
- The Indian Army, infantry units and Colonel Shekhar Attri, a former Indian Army Special Forces commander.
- What
- India is adapting its infantry for drone-enabled warfare and emphasizing battlefield awareness, counter-drone capabilities and training.
- When
- The changes are being developed for modern and future conflicts; no specific date is given.
- Where
- India and the battlefields where its infantry operates.
- Why
- To improve observation, shorten the OODA loop and give small units greater battlefield awareness.
- Key technology
- Drones, thermal and optical sights, digital communications, counter-drone systems and precision weapons.
- New formations
- Bhairav battalions and Ashni drone platoons.
- Main tactical goal
- Shortening the OODA loop: observe, orient, decide and act.
- Example capability
- A quadcopter can survey terrain that might otherwise take hours to reach.
- Expert quoted
- Colonel Shekhar Attri, a decorated Indian Army Special Forces veteran and former Commanding Officer of 12 PARA (SF).
- Central argument
- Technology can provide an advantage before contact, while training is decisive during war.