The world’s first full-scale drone conflict has erupted in South Asia, as India and Pakistan trade accusations and retaliatory strikes involving unmanned weapons.
On Thursday, India accused Pakistan of launching waves of drones and missiles at three military bases within Indian territory and Indian-administered Kashmir. Islamabad swiftly denied the claim, instead asserting that it had downed 25 Indian drones in recent hours—an allegation New Delhi has so far not publicly addressed.
Analysts told BBC that the tit-for-tat attacks mark a perilous new phase in the decades-long India-Pakistan rivalry, with both sides now exchanging unmanned systems rather than conventional artillery alone. Global powers including the United States have urged restraint as the region edges closer to open escalation—driven in part by the stealth, reach and deniability of drone warfare.
“The Indo-Pak conflict is moving into a new drone era—one where ‘invisible eyes’ and unmanned precision may determine escalation or restraint,” said Jahara Matisek, a professor at the US Naval War College, speaking to the BBC. “In South Asia’s contested skies, the side that masters drone warfare won’t just see the battlefield—they’ll shape it.”
On Thursday, Pakistan’s military claimed it had shot down 25 Indian drones over cities including Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi. These drones—believed to be Israeli-made Harop loitering munitions—were reportedly intercepted using a combination of electronic and kinetic defences.
India, meanwhile, claims to have neutralised several Pakistani air defence systems, including one in Lahore—an assertion Islamabad has rejected.
Experts say the conflict marks a turning point in how modern wars are fought—where drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) play central roles in targeting, surveillance, and strike missions.
Such platforms can either laser-designate targets for follow-up attacks or directly engage with precision-guided munitions. They can also act as decoys, luring enemy radars into revealing their positions, which are then targeted by loitering munitions or anti-radiation missiles.
“This is how Ukraine and Russia are using drones in their war,” Matisek explained. “This dual role—targeting and triggering—makes drones a force multiplier in degrading enemy air defences without risking manned aircraft.”
India’s drone arsenal is primarily based on Israeli technology, including the IAI Searcher and Heron reconnaissance UAVs, along with the Harpy and Harop loitering munitions. The Harop, in particular, signals a shift toward precision-targeted warfare, reflecting the growing strategic role of loitering drones.
The Heron is considered India’s high-altitude ‘eye in the sky’ for both surveillance and combat operations, while the IAI Searcher Mk II—designed for frontline use—offers 18 hours of endurance and a 300km range, with a service ceiling of 7,000 metres.
Though India’s combat drone fleet is still seen as relatively modest, a recent $4 billion agreement to acquire 31 MQ-9B Predator drones from the United States—each capable of flying for 40 hours at altitudes of up to 40,000 feet—represents a major leap in its offensive capabilities.
India is also reportedly developing swarm drone tactics, which involve deploying large numbers of smaller UAVs to overwhelm enemy air defences and pave the way for strikes by more sophisticated systems.
Pakistan, meanwhile, possesses what experts call a broad and fast-expanding drone inventory. “The fleet is extensive and diverse,” said Ejaz Haider, a defence analyst based in Lahore. “It includes over a thousand drones, combining Chinese, Turkish, and indigenous models.”
Key systems in Pakistan’s arsenal include the Chinese CH-4, the Turkish Bayraktar Akinci, and domestically produced Burraq and Shahpar drones. Pakistan has also developed loitering munitions, bolstering its ability to carry out targeted strikes with minimal risk.
As both nations continue to develop increasingly advanced and autonomous drone capabilities, experts warn that any miscalculation or technical error could rapidly escalate into a broader and potentially uncontrollable conflict.
