Just after 8:00 p.m. on May 8, red flares lit up the skies over Jammu in northern India as Indian air defences fired on drones launched from Pakistan. The skirmishes marked the first large-scale use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by both sides in their decades-long rivalry.
Although the U.S. brokered a ceasefire after four days of clashes, the two nuclear-armed neighbours—who together spent over $96 billion on defence last year—are now escalating a drone arms race, Reuters reports, citing interviews with 15 officials and experts.
UAVs offer a low-risk option for striking targets without endangering pilots or triggering wider conflict. Analysts expect their use to increase significantly, especially as both countries ramp up investment in drone technology.
India is expected to triple its UAV spending to around $470 million over the next two years, according to Smit Shah of the Drone Federation of India. Emergency military procurement funds worth $4.6 billion have been approved, with combat and surveillance drones among the top priorities. Unlike the typically slow pace of defence acquisitions, drone trials and demonstrations are now being fast-tracked, industry insiders say.
Pakistan, facing a more limited high-end aircraft fleet, is also stepping up UAV procurement. With only around 20 J-10 fighter jets compared to India’s 36 Rafales, Islamabad is leaning on partnerships with China and Turkey to boost domestic drone production. One key project involves local assembly of Turkish YIHA-III drones in collaboration with Baykar, with a new unit reportedly producible every two to three days.
During the May clashes—triggered by an April 22 militant attack in Kashmir that killed 26, mostly Indian tourists—India launched air strikes against what it called terrorist targets in Pakistan. The following night, Pakistan responded with a swarm of 300–400 drones along a 1,700-kilometre border, probing Indian air defences at dozens of locations.
Pakistan reportedly used Turkish-origin Songar and YIHA-III drones, along with the locally built Shahpar-II UAV. Both governments declined to comment.
According to Walter Ladwig III of King’s College London, both sides see drones as tools to apply military pressure while avoiding escalation. “UAVs allow leaders to demonstrate resolve, achieve visible effects, and manage domestic expectations — all without exposing expensive aircraft or pilots to danger,” he said.
Still, experts warn that drone strikes in contested or populated areas risk unintended escalation, even if manned aircraft are kept out of the fray.
via Reuters