Foreign-origin counter-drone technology is entering India’s defence manufacturing ecosystem at a crucial juncture.

The armed forces are actively developing requirements for systems capable of physically intercepting hostile unmanned aerial vehicles. This development highlights the growing urgency of kinetic solutions in the face of evolving aerial threats.

According to disclosures made in filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, US-based Powerus has granted Paras Defence & Space Technologies exclusive rights to manufacture and commercialise its Guardian interceptor family in India.

The agreement has been executed through Powerus subsidiary Tandem Defence LLC. Paras Defence will hold exclusive rights to manufacture and commercialise Guardian interceptor products in India in return for a licence fee and a share of net profits from domestic sales.

The arrangement does not mean that the Guardian interceptor has been selected by the Indian military. Any induction into service would remain subject to the government’s standard evaluation and procurement processes. The significance of the agreement lies in its timing, coinciding with the Indian military’s parallel efforts to define requirements for high-speed kinetic systems to counter drones.

In February, the Indian Army issued a request for information for up to forty-five drone interception systems and fifty drone catcher systems. These are intended for deployment across plains, deserts, and high-altitude areas.

The systems are required to counter low-radar-cross-section drones through kinetic means, including direct impact or proximity detonation. This reflects the Army’s recognition of the need for scalable solutions against increasingly sophisticated aerial threats.

Earlier this month, the Army also issued a GeM tender for the development of an AI-enabled high-speed interceptor UAV for counter-drone operations.

At the same time, the Indian Air Force has sought indigenous solutions capable of detecting, tracking, and neutralising hostile drones. These parallel initiatives underscore the armed forces’ determination to build layered defence capabilities against unmanned aerial systems.

Powerus has described Guardian‑1 and the upgraded Guardian‑2 as low-cost, high-speed counter-drone interceptor platforms. They are designed to defeat hostile unmanned aerial threats at scale.

The company has stated that the technology originated through a partnership formed to commercialise autonomous defence technologies developed in Ukraine and owned by G1 Exploration.

This adds an international dimension to the technology’s lineage, linking it to battlefield innovations tested in conflict zones.

For India, the immediate significance of the Paras‑Powerus agreement is industrial rather than operational. The deal creates a pathway for local manufacturing and commercialisation of a foreign-origin counter-drone system

 This industrial foothold comes at a time when the Army and Air Force are pursuing scalable kinetic solutions to meet evolving drone threats. It also aligns with India’s broader defence modernisation program, which seeks to combine indigenous innovation with selective foreign collaboration.

IANS