The Indian Air Force (IAF) has intensified its engagement with industry stakeholders, MSMEs, Start-Ups and technology partners through an Industry Outreach Program held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, aimed at advancing India's indigenous unmanned and autonomous systems capabilities.

The event was chaired by Air Marshal Premkumar K, VM, VSM, Director General (Weapon Systems) at Air Headquarters. Around 100 representatives from drone manufacturers and associated industry partners attended, highlighting the expanding collaboration between the IAF and India's rapidly developing unmanned aviation sector.

The outreach initiative provided the IAF with a formal platform to communicate its long-term operational requirements and technological priorities. It also built upon the 'IAF Unmanned and Autonomous Systems Roadmap' unveiled during IAF Dronathon 2026 at Pokhran on 14 September 2026.

As part of the engagement, the IAF distributed its 'IAF Roadmap booklet' to participating industry partners. The document is intended to provide greater clarity on the Air Force's future operational needs and support industry efforts to align research, development and manufacturing activities with anticipated military requirements.

The roadmap outlines a vision centred on a layered and networked family of unmanned systems designed to operate alongside both existing and future manned air platforms. The focus is on developing operationally relevant, reliable and resilient indigenous technologies capable of enhancing the IAF's combat effectiveness across a broad spectrum of missions.

It was emphasised during the event that "Atmanirbharta in unmanned systems is an operational necessity, not merely an aspiration." The IAF highlighted several critical technology areas requiring focused development, including indigenous propulsion systems, autonomous software, resilient navigation solutions and standardised interfaces.

Strengthening these capabilities is considered essential for reducing dependence on overseas suppliers and reinforcing India's domestic defence industrial base.

The outreach effort reflects the increasing importance of unmanned and autonomous technologies in modern warfare, where drones, autonomous platforms, artificial intelligence-enabled systems and network-centric operations are becoming integral to air power. By sharing its future requirements early with industry, the IAF aims to accelerate innovation cycles and encourage the development of solutions tailored to operational needs.

Through sustained collaboration with industry, MSMEs, Start-Ups and academia, the IAF intends to promote joint development initiatives, speed up the transition of emerging technologies into operational service and cultivate a robust domestic ecosystem capable of supporting India's broader Atmanirbharta objectives in defence technology.

The initiative underlines the Air Force's commitment to leveraging indigenous innovation to meet future security challenges while strengthening national technological self-reliance.