The Ministry of Defence has approved in principle a ₹500 crore National Military Drone Technology Hub at IIT-Kanpur, positioning Uttar Pradesh as India’s leading centre for defence drone innovation. 

This initiative will provide full-stack capabilities in design, testing, certification, and counter-drone systems, while strengthening the UP Defence Industrial Corridor ecosystem.

The Ministry of Defence has granted in-principle approval for the establishment of a ₹500 crore National Military Drone Technology Hub at IIT-Kanpur. The hub will deliver comprehensive capabilities, including the design, testing, and certification of military payloads, data links, ground stations, and counter-drone systems. This marks a significant step in India’s drive to indigenise advanced unmanned systems.

The proposal was drafted by the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority, the nodal agency for the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor, and submitted by the state government to the MoD on 29 May 2026.

The initiative was pursued under the directions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who reviewed progress on 10 April this year. IIT-Kanpur had earlier been designated as a Centre of Excellence with a total outlay of ₹20.3 crore, of which ₹15.3 crore was funded by the state.

A senior state government officer stated that the hub will make the UP Defence Industrial Corridor a global benchmark in unmanned systems and provide India’s armed forces with a decisive technological edge. The Centre of Excellence at IIT-Kanpur is already operational as an integrated hub for research and development, testing, training, and start-up incubation in drone technologies.

The hub will drive a civil–military fusion model, scaling up dual-use drone technologies developed under Drone Shakti for defence applications.

It will also leverage nodes of the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor located in Aligarh, Agra, Jhansi, Kanpur, Lucknow, and Chitrakoot for distributed manufacturing and maintenance, repair, and overhaul, with IIT-Kanpur leading research, development, and standardisation.

The Army Design Bureau has been designated as the single point of contact for coordination. A Monitoring Committee has been constituted under the Additional Secretary and Director General (Acquisition), Department of Defence. The first review meeting was held on 3 June, where IIT-Kanpur was requested to submit a revised proposal by the end of the month, adopting a whole-of-nation approach.

The initiative aims to establish Uttar Pradesh as a national hub for defence drone technologies and strengthen the Defence Industrial Corridor ecosystem through advanced manufacturing, research and development, start-up incubation, and high-skilled employment.

For close coordination with the MoD, Army Design Bureau, and IIT-Kanpur, the UP government will nominate a nodal officer to streamline inter-departmental coordination.

Officials emphasised that the hub will accelerate indigenisation under the Make-1 and Make-2 categories, reducing import dependence in critical drone sub-systems. Additional details indicate that the centre will also explore advanced technologies such as nano-material based stealth drones, Kamikaze drones, and swarm-enabled platforms, further enhancing India’s military capabilities. Research into indigenous UAV technologies will be prioritised, ensuring that India develops sovereign capabilities in critical areas of drone warfare.

This development is expected to catalyse the growth of the defence ecosystem in Uttar Pradesh, attract significant investments, and create a robust pipeline of innovation and employment opportunities, firmly positioning IIT-Kanpur as the engine of India’s military drone innovation.

Agencies