Rogue drones a growing challenge: How IAF's ‘Vayu UTtaM’ could help
Successfully demonstrated at Dronathon-2026, the system is designed to manage congested airspace by tracking both military and civilian drones in real-time
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has unveiled 'Vayu UTtaM', an indigenously developed Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) system designed to manage the growing number of drones in congested airspace and detect rogue unmanned aircraft. During the IAF's Dronathon-2026, Vayu UTtaM successfully demonstrated its real-time detection and tracking capabilities for both military and civilian Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS).
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has unveiled 'Vayu UTtaM', an indigenously developed Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) system designed to manage the growing number of drones in congested airspace and detect rogue unmanned aircraft. During the IAF's Dronathon-2026, Vayu UTtaM successfully demonstrated its real-time detection and tracking capabilities for both military and civilian Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS).
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has unveiled 'Vayu UTtaM', an indigenously developed Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) system designed to manage the growing number of drones in congested airspace and detect rogue unmanned aircraft. During the IAF's Dronathon-2026, Vayu UTtaM successfully demonstrated its real-time detection and tracking capabilities for both military and civilian Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS).
As unmanned aircraft increasingly become an important part of air operations, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has showcased an indigenously developed system designed to manage the growing number of drones operating in increasingly congested airspace and help identify potential threats from rogue unmanned aircraft.
Called ‘Vayu UTtaM’, the multi-mode Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) system demonstrated a key capability during the opening day of the IAF's first Dronathon-2026 at the Pokhran Field Firing Range in Jaisalmer.
During a real-time demonstration at Pokhran, Vayu UTtaM successfully detected and tracked both military and civilian Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS).
The capability assumes importance as the proliferation of drones creates a need not only to operate unmanned systems effectively but also to coordinate their movement and distinguish authorised aircraft from potentially unauthorised or rogue drones.
What is Vayu UTtaM?
Vayu UTtaM is an indigenously developed, multi-mode Unmanned Traffic Management system of the IAF. The system has been designed to facilitate the coordinated management of UAS operations in airspace that is becoming increasingly congested. It can also support the identification and timely mitigation of unauthorised or rogue drones, according to a PIB release.
Its successful demonstration at Pokhran showed its ability to detect and track both military and civilian UAS in real time.
The IAF also sees potential applications for Vayu UTtaM beyond the military. As the unmanned systems have become increasingly common, the technology could have applications in airspace safety, critical infrastructure, civil aviation and public safety.
The demonstration comes as the IAF increasingly views unmanned systems as an important complement to manned aviation.
IAF unveils roadmap for future drones
The Vayu UTtaM demonstration took place during Dronathon-2026, that is currently underway. Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, Vice Chief of the Air Staff, inaugurated the event, which has brought together more than 20 defence companies, start-ups, MSMEs, DPSUs and innovators.
The initiative is intended to allow the IAF to engage directly with India's unmanned-systems industry and assess emerging technologies under realistic operational conditions.
Participating companies are demonstrating technologies covering surveillance and reconnaissance, autonomous operations, drone swarms, electronic warfare and Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (CUAS).
Rather than limiting the exercise to technology demonstrations, the IAF is assessing the systems for their reliability and effectiveness in demanding and contested environments, as well as their ability to respond to changing operational requirements and emerging threats.
The Vice Chief of the Air Staff also released the ‘IAF UAS Roadmap’, which seeks to give Indian industry greater clarity about the Air Force's future capability priorities. It is intended to help industry, academia and research organisations align their development efforts with future IAF requirements.