India’s Shaurya squadrons deploying high-tech drones to counter Chinese PLA during Arunachal face-offs?

In a major revelation, Director General of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Shatrujeet Kapur said face-offs between India and China continued in parts of Arunachal Pradesh. His remark came while praising ITBP’s Shaurya Commando teams, which he said “performed exceptionally well during the confrontations.”

Kapur was addressing ITBP personnel, known as Himveers, in Alwar on Thursday. The DG, however, did not mention China while praising the forces. “Our newly raised Shaurya commandos are doing great work. Recently, a situation arose in Arunachal Pradesh where face-offs took place and are still ongoing. There, our Shaurya Commando teams played an exemplary role. As everyone knows, the ITBP was raised as a mountain guerrilla force, and we were given border guarding duty along China in 2004. We should not abandon our exact mandate,” he said.

The Director General’s statement also serves as a confirmation of the talks held by the Indian Army’s III Corps with Chinese officials early in September at the Wacha-Damai border, the easternmost border in Arunachal Pradesh, with regard to border issues. 

According to reports in late July 2026, Indian Army and Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) patrols encountered each other near Maza, a strategic location along the northern border. Chinese PLA troops later returned in larger numbers and pitched tents within 6 km to 7 km of India's perception of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The DG said the force was constructing underground shelters (bunkers) at border locations "in a big way," learning from the lessons of modern warfare, as above-ground buildings can become targets in "hot war" situations.

Shaurya Squadrons 

The Indian Army has recently inducted Shaurya Squadrons—dedicated drone subunits within armoured regiments—to enhance real-time surveillance and precision strike capabilities in modern battlefield scenarios.

Each squadron comprises around 20–30 trained personnel and is entrusted with providing real-time intelligence and strike capabilities at the unit level. These dedicated drone subunits are embedded within armoured regiments and provide tank commanders with live battlefield data, improving situational awareness and decision-making.

They deploy a variety of unmanned systems, including surveillance drones, swarm drones, First-Person View (FPV) drones, and loitering munitions. While FPV drones are highly effective in targeting enemy tanks and supply chains, loitering munitions allow drones to hover over a target area before striking with precision.

Drone Platoon

The deployment of Shaurya Squadrons helps reduce the sensor-to-shooter cycle, which is the time taken between identifying and neutralising a target. This improves battlefield responsiveness, as traditionally, this process involved multiple command layers, causing delays.

Kapur said that each border-guarding battalion now had a drone platoon. “We are training drone pilots and building drones too. The Ministry of Home Affairs has also granted in-principle approval to a bigger modernisation scheme of Rs 4,000 crore, of which we will earmark Rs 1,000 crore for drone and anti-drone systems," the DG said.