India intends to spend $2 billion on military drone orders.

An industry organization collaborating with the Indian government stated on the 3rd that India may order military drones worth over $2 billion from domestic companies this year. This will be the largest procurement of its kind in the country to date.

Reuters reported, citing the head of the Indian Drone Federation, Smita Shah, that the relevant plans have entered the later stages and are expected to be delivered within 18 to 24 months.

The Indian Drone Federation has over 550 member companies and maintains close cooperation with the government. According to Shah, the scale of this procurement will significantly increase compared to the recent tactical drone order valued at 30 billion rupees (approximately 2.1 billion yuan) from the Indian government. "In the next phase, India's tactical drone procurement may exceed 200 billion rupees (14.2 billion yuan), which is over $2 billion."

Shah mentioned that the new orders may utilize a rapid procurement channel designed to meet urgent operational needs, with delivery expected to be completed within 24 months.

The Indian Ministry of Defense has not yet responded to requests for comment.

According to Reuters data, India has over 600 companies producing drones and components, with more than 100 focusing on defense applications. These include large enterprises such as the Adani Group, engineering giant Larsen & Toubro, and Tata Advanced Systems, as well as some startups. Their R&D areas cover reconnaissance, logistics, loitering munitions, precision strikes, and critical component systems.

The report stated that in recent years, India has reformed its typically inefficient defense procurement processes to accelerate the speed of drone procurement, especially after last year's conflict with Pakistan exposed India's shortcomings in surveillance and strike capabilities.

Reporter: Qiao Ying