Shahed Drones

• Shahed (meaning witness in Farsi) drones are low-cost, one-way-attack unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) developed by Iran. 
• Often referred to as “kamikaze” or “suicide” drones, they function essentially as guided missiles that fly towards a pre-designated target and explode on impact. 
• Most widely used variants: Shahed-131 and Shahed-136 
• Russia refers to the Shahed-131 and Shahed-136 as “Geran-1” and “Geran-2,” respectively.
• Each Shahed is reported to have an estimated cost between $20,000 and $50,000, making them cheaper than most other long-range, OWA UAVs. 
• Ballistic and cruise missiles, by contrast, can cost millions of dollars each.
• This low cost, along with a low-altitude flight profile and self-sacrificial nature, has seen Shaheds labelled “the poor man’s cruise missile”.
• Produced in large numbers, swarms of Shahed drones can overwhelm air defences by saturating them from multiple directions at once.

Shahed Drones Features

• The Shahed-131 has a range of 700–900 km, while the Shahed-136 has the longer range, i.e., between 2,000 and 2,500 kilometres.
• They are between 2.5 and three metres long and weigh around 200 kg at launch, most of which is the fuel and payload.
• They are launched using a disposable rocket booster fitted to their underside. Shortly after launch, the booster is jettisoned, and a piston-driven engine takes over to provide propulsion.
• They can be launched from both static rail mounts and vehicles.
• For navigation, it uses a combination of civilian GPS/GLONASS and an inertial navigation system (INS) often pre-programmed with coordinates before launch.
• They can be equipped with various warheads, including high-explosive fragmentation, thermobaric, and shrapnel-filled munitions, maximising damage to both personnel and equipment.

Role of Drones in Warfare

• Surveillance: Drones provide real-time, high-definition surveillance, enabling military personnel to monitor enemy positions and movements without putting troops at risk.

• Suppression of Defences: Russia’s drone campaign, for instance, makes use of Shahed drones to saturate Ukrainian air defences.

• Low-cost Warfare: Ukraine’s Operation Spider Web demonstrated that low-cost UAVs combined with accessible technologies can have strategic impact deep into enemy lines. 

• Electronic Warfare: Some drones are designed with electronic warfare features, allowing them to jam or spoof enemy radar and communication systems. 

Initiatives for Augmenting Drone Production Ecosystem

• Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Drone and Drone Components: Aims to promote high-value domestic manufacturing by encouraging local production.

• Import Policy: The government announced an import ban on drones in CBU (Completely Built-Up), SKD (Semi-Knocked Down), and CKD (Completely Knocked Down) units.

• Tax Rationalisation: GST on drones was reduced to a uniform 5% in September 2025. 

• Promotion Platforms:Platform such as Bharat Drone Shakti, Bharat Drone Mahotsav and the Drone International Expo promote Drone-as-a-Service (DaaS) start-ups and new business models. 

• SwaYaan: Capacity Building Programme for Human Resource Development in Unmanned Aircraft Systems