Introduction

The operational role of UAVs has undergone a fundamental shift over the past decade —evolving from surveillance assets into full-spectrum combat systems spanning precision strike, electronic warfare, logistics, swarm saturation attacks, and active drone intercept missions. The proliferation of inexpensive First Person View (FPV) kamikaze UAVs and tactical loitering munitions has compressed the cost-exchange ratio to a point where a ₹50,000 FPV can neutralise a multi-crore Main Battle Tank (MBT), a ₹15 lakh loitering munition can blind a ₹500 crore air defence radar, and a ₹80,000 interceptor drone can neutralise a ₹35 lakh Shahed-class loitering munition before it reaches its target. The cost calculus of modern warfare has been inverted at every tier simultaneously.