IAF opens first Dronathon at Pokhran, releases UAS Roadmap and demonstrates Vayu UTtaM

1
Vice Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit inaugurated the first IAF Dronathon-2026 at the Pokhran Field Firing Range, Jaisalmer, on 14 September 2026 (event runs 14-16 September).
2
He released the 'IAF UAS Roadmap', which sets out the IAF's unmanned capability priorities for industry, academia and research organisations.
3
The IAF demonstrated Vayu UTtaM, its indigenous multi-mode Unmanned Traffic Management system, which tracked both military and civil drones.

●Dronathon-2026: the IAF's first, 14-16 September 2026, at Pokhran Field Firing Range, Jaisalmer (Rajasthan), the site of India's 1974 and 1998 nuclear tests.
●Participants: over 20 defence companies, start-ups, MSMEs, DPSUs and innovators. Systems assessed for surveillance, autonomy, swarms, electronic warfare and Counter-UAS (CUAS).
●IAF UAS Roadmap: released by the Vice Chief of the Air Staff to align industry and research with the IAF's future unmanned requirements.
●Vayu UTtaM: indigenous multi-mode Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) system. It detects and tracks military and civil drones and helps mitigate rogue drones.
●HQ Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS): set up 1 October 2001 after the Kargil Review Committee; executive arm of the Chiefs of Staff Committee.
●iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence): launched April 2018, run by the Defence Innovation Organisation (HAL-BEL non-profit); runs the Defence India Startup Challenge.
●Civil drone framework: Drone Rules, 2021 (Ministry of Civil Aviation, 25 August 2021); PLI scheme for drones and components approved 15 September 2021 with Rs 120 crore over three years.

upsc

GS Paper 3 > Security > Defence Technology, Indigenisation of Technology

★UPSC may ask which ministry administers the Drone Rules, 2021 and the drone PLI scheme, or what an Unmanned Traffic Management system does.

Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM)

A system that identifies, tracks and coordinates drones sharing low-level airspace, separating authorised flights from rogue ones.

Counter-UAS (CUAS)

Systems that detect, track and neutralise hostile drones by jamming, spoofing or physical interception.

•First IAF Dronathon: Pokhran Field Firing Range, Jaisalmer, 14-16 September 2026.
•Vayu UTtaM = the IAF's indigenous Unmanned Traffic Management system.
•HQ IDS: 1 October 2001, on the Kargil Review Committee's recommendations.

•Drone Rules, 2021 and the drone PLI scheme belong to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, not the Ministry of Defence. iDEX is the defence-side start-up route.

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