Abstract
If the Nagorno-Karabakh War has popularised drone warfare, the Russia-Ukraine War has pushed the race for militarised drones and loitering munitions. Nations are now driving Artificial Intelligence (AI) in defence to further enhance their Drones with autonomous targeting, mission flexibility, intelligent decision-making and precision strikes. This paper studies usage of AI in Loitering Munitions and its implications. The paper further outlines AI research and deployment of Loitering Munitions in India, China and Pakistan. While China is advancing it’s AI and autonomous platforms, Pakistan looks at targeted procurement methods. India, while balancing strategic mix of buy and build strategies, is making paradigm shift towards self-reliance and indigenisation. The paper concludes by addressing India’s challenges in supply, manufacturing and technology and provides suggested measures to drive the advancements of AI and indigenisation of military drones, particularly loitering munitions to align with India’s vision of Atmanirbharta and a global military power.
Keywords: AI in Drones, Loitering Munitions, Kamikaze Drones, Autonomous Drones, Drone Warfare, AI Drones, Autonomous UAVs, Artificial Intelligence, AI in Defence
