INDIAN AIR FORCE DRONATHON - 2026

Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, Vice Chief of the Air Staff, inaugurated the first Indian Air Force Dronathon-2026 at the Pokhran Field Firing Range, Jaisalmer. The three-day event is designed to engage directly with the Indian unmanned systems industry, assessing emerging technologies under realistic operational conditions. It brings together over 20 leading defence companies, start-ups, MSMEs, DPSUs, and innovators to demonstrate capabilities across surveillance, autonomous operations, swarm technologies, electronic warfare, and Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems. During the event, the VCAS released the ‘IAF UAS Roadmap’ to guide industry and research efforts. Additionally, the IAF demonstrated its indigenously developed multi-mode Unmanned Traffic Management system, 'Vayu UTtaM,' to detect and track UAS and mitigate rogue drones.