Dronathon 2026: IAF demonstrates multi-mode system designed to facilitate drones' management in airspace

New Delhi: 'Vayu UTtaM', an indigenously developed multi-mode system designed to facilitate coordinated management of drones in increasingly congested airspace while also supporting identification of rogue drones, was demonstrated at an IAF-hosted event in Rajasthan's Pokhran range on Monday, officials said.

The 'Unmanned Traffic Management' system is ground-based and has potential applications beyond the military domain, including in areas related to airspace safety, critical infrastructure, civil aviation and public safety, they said.

The event-- 'Dronathon 2026'-- being hosted from September 14-16 at the Pokhran range in Jaisalmer seeks to offer domestic manufacturers an opportunity to exhibit their capabilities and advancements in unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and counter-UAS.


It is designed to help stakeholders to witness emerging drone and counter-drone technologies along with their operations' demonstration, officials said.

On the opening day, the IAF successfully demonstrated a key capability of 'Vayu UTtaM', its indigenously developed multi-mode UTM system, the defence ministry said.

"During its real-time demonstration at Pokhran, it detected and tracked both military and civil UAS. The capability is designed to facilitate coordinated management of UAS operations in increasingly congested airspace, while also supporting the identification and timely mitigation of unauthorised or rogue drones.

"With the increasing proliferation of UAS, 'Vayu UTtaM' has potential applications beyond the military domain, including in areas related to airspace safety, critical infrastructure, civil aviation and public safety," the ministry said in a statement.

The event brings together over 20 leading defence companies, start-ups MSMEs, DPSUs and innovators from India's rapidly evolving unmanned systems ecosystem, the officials said.

"In line with the national objective of Atmanirbhar Bharat and with a focus on enhancing the IAF's capabilities in the unmanned domain, 'Dronathon 2026' was inaugurated by the Vice Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, at Jaisalmer today," a senior official said.

Air Marshal Dixit also released the 'IAF UAS Roadmap', providing greater clarity to Indian industry on capability priorities. The roadmap is intended to facilitate focussed innovation and enable the unmanned airborne systems industry, academia and research organisations to align their efforts with the future requirements of the IAF.

The IAF views unmanned systems as an important complement to manned aviation providing commanders with additional options to enhance the reach, persistence responsiveness and flexibility of air operations.

During the Dronathon, participating companies and innovators will demonstrate their UAS and associated technologies at the Pokhran range, the ministry said.

The demonstrations will encompass a wide spectrum of operational capabilities including surveillance and reconnaissance, autonomous operations, swarm technologies, electronic warfare and counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS).

"The central focus of 'Dronathon 2026' is to move from technology demonstration to operational effect. The systems are being assessed for their reliability, and effectiveness in demanding and contested environments, as well as their ability to adapt to evolving operational requirements and emerging threats," the statement said.

It reinforces the IAF's commitment to Atmanirbharta in unmanned systems, with the focus extending beyond airframes to the complete ecosystem, including propulsion, sensors and payloads, communications, autonomy, electronic warfare, countermeasures and airspace management, the ministry added.

The event follows an industry outreach programme undertaken by the IAF to identify and engage Indian industry and technology developers in the unmanned domain.

Participating companies are undertaking live demonstrations of their systems at the Pokhran range during the event. These demonstrations are aimed at assessing available technologies against identified operational requirements in the unmanned domain.

The systems and technologies being demonstrated include expendable Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) systems; loitering munitions; UAS with electronic warfare capabilities; logistics and delivery drones; mapping and surveying systems; counter-drone systems; and technologies incorporating artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous navigation, real-time data transmission and advanced payloads, the officials said.

The demonstrations cover applications related to defence and border surveillance, disaster management, infrastructure inspection and other identified civilian applications.

Dronathon 2026 provides an interface between the IAF and industry for understanding available technologies and their applicability to operational requirements, the officials said.

The event also includes participation by students and local youth, who are being provided an opportunity to view live and static displays of unmanned systems and related technologies.

'Dronathon 2026' is part of the IAF's continuing engagement with Indian industry towards development and induction of indigenous unmanned capabilities in accordance with evolving operational requirements, the officials said.