India raises ‘Baaz’ drone battalion along Pakistan front
New Delhi: The Indian Army has raised a dedicated drone-operating battalion, named ‘Baaz’, along its western front with Pakistan as part of its reported post-Operation Sindoor military transformation, highlighting New Delhi’s growing reliance on drone warfare and aerial surveillance.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the newly raised unit is headquartered in Jalandhar, Punjab, and will operate under the Army’s 11 Corps. The Army had earlier announced plans to establish dedicated drone battalions, with the Jalandhar-based unit reportedly being the first such formation in the state bordering Pakistan.
The ‘Baaz’ battalions are intended to provide frontline formations with enhanced aerial surveillance, intelligence, reconnaissance and situational-awareness capabilities. The units could operate a range of unmanned aerial vehicles, including long-range drones and armed systems sourced from the US and Israel, besides indigenous platforms developed in India.
According to reports, the move is aimed at maintaining a persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability along the battlefield and increasing the Army’s capacity for deep-penetration surveillance, targeting and prolonged monitoring of the border.
The Indian Army has also expanded its drone capabilities at the tactical level. Each infantry battalion now reportedly has an ‘Ashini drone platoon’ for immediate-area surveillance, while artillery formations operate drones capable of carrying loitering ammunition, commonly described as one-way attack drones.
Indian military sources have linked the expansion to lessons drawn from recent border tensions with China and the military confrontation with Pakistan during Operation Sindoor in May 2025.
The development reflects the accelerating militarisation of drone technology in South Asia, with both India and Pakistan increasingly incorporating unmanned systems into surveillance, targeting and battlefield operations along their contested borders.
