The Indian Army successfully conducted Exercise Siyom Prahar from September 8 to 10, a comprehensive field training exercise designed to test, adapt, and validate the employment of drones under realistic battlefield conditions.

The exercise highlighted how unmanned aerial systems (UAS) could be seamlessly integrated at both tactical and operational levels of warfare, thereby providing a decisive edge in future conflicts marked by speed, ambiguity, and dispersed battlefields.

A central emphasis of the exercise was the validation of new Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) that enable drones to act as force multipliers across multiple domains.

These included persistent surveillance for situational awareness, battlefield reconnaissance to track adversary movements, precision target acquisition for artillery and missile forces, and even drone-enabled precision strike missions against high-value targets. This demonstrated the versatile role of UAVs as more than just reconnaissance tools but as fully integrated combat enablers.

The Army tested joint targeting processes where drone feeds were merged in real-time with conventional firepower assets, allowing rapid sensor-to-shooter cycles and enhanced responsiveness in dynamic combat conditions.

This fusion of drone data with artillery, missile, and infantry units accelerated decision-making, reduced targeting timelines, and enabled commanders to exploit fleeting opportunities on the battlefield. The exercise also explored redundancy and resilience in drone operations, focusing on swarming tactics, distributed command networks, and ensuring survivability in contested electronic environments.

Importantly, Exercise Siyom Prahar showcased the synergy between emerging technologies and traditional combat arms. By blending proven war fighting drills with networked drone support, the Army demonstrated adaptability in combat doctrinal evolution.

This not only strengthens conventional capabilities but also ensures preparedness for hybrid and high-intensity conflicts where unmanned systems will play transformative roles.

The outcomes of the drill offer valuable lessons for doctrine development and future deployment concepts. These include refining UAV employment for contested high-altitude terrains, integrating drones in support of mechanised and infantry manoeuvres, exploring logistics resupply roles, and validating interoperability with precision-guided munitions.

Experts emphasised that the lessons will guide future force-modernisation pathways and accelerate the formulation of standard operating procedures for drone warfare across theatres.

Above all, Exercise Siyom Prahar reaffirmed the Army’s commitment to harnessing technology for operational superiority. By institutionalising drones not as supplementary tools but as core components of the battlefield ecosystem, the Indian Army demonstrated it is determined to remain at the forefront of military innovation.

The exercise underscored a clear forward-looking vision: ensuring that India’s land forces remain future-ready, combat-capable, and technologically empowered to secure operational dominance across the spectrum of conflict.

Based On IANS Report