Indian Air Force launches inaugural Dronathon-2026 in Jaisalmer

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has launched its inaugural ‘Dronathon-2026’ at the Pokhran Field Firing Range in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. Running from September 14 to 16, the event focuses on enhancing unmanned warfare capabilities and advancing the national ‘Mission Atmanirbhar Bharat’ objective through indigenous technology.

During the inauguration, Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, Vice Chief of the Air Staff, unveiled the ‘IAF Unmanned & Autonomous Systems Roadmap’ to provide industry guidance on future capability priorities. The event brings together over 20 defense companies, startups, and innovators to conduct live trials of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and counter-UAS technologies in demanding desert conditions.

Demonstrations include loitering munitions, intelligence and surveillance platforms, logistics drones, and aircraft equipped with electronic warfare payloads. The program aims to move beyond laboratory displays to assess the operational reliability and combat effectiveness of these systems in contested environments.