Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Upendra Dwivedi, during an event held at the Kargil War Memorial in Dras to commemorate the 26th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas on Saturday, made a number of announcements that form part of the efforts to modernise India's armed forces.
The COAS outlined the Army’s transformation into a future-ready force through ‘Rudra’ all-arms brigades, ‘Bhairav’ light commando battalions, ‘Shaktibaan’ artillery regiments and ‘Divyastra’ batteries, drone-equipped infantry battalions, and indigenous air defence systems, a defence ministry statement said.
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Every infantry battalion now has a drone platoon, he said, adding, "In the artillery, the Shaktiban regiment has been set up, which will be equipped with a drone, counter-drone, and loiter munition. Every regiment will have a composite battery equipped with these things."
The formation of this technologically advanced artillery formation is expected to significantly enhance the Indian Army's firepower and counter-drone capabilities.
Amid the growing use of drones in modern warfare, as seen in the recent India-Pakistan military conflict and battles that are happening elsewhere in the world, the formation of the Shaktiban regiment represents a shift towards networked warfare and rapid precision strike capability in the Indian Army, with a clear emphasis on countering modern battlefield threats like unmanned systems.
