Made-in-India Kamikaze drones at Rs 1 lakh? IG Drones reveals a game-changer

Padhi, in fact, said that employees of IG Drones were trapped when they went to supply the Armed Forces with their drones on May 7.

Armoured drones that are capable of targetting and hitting a target are available in India as low as Rs 1 lakh, said Maj Gen Ramesh Chandra Padhi (retd), senior vice president of IG Drones at the Network18 Powering Bharat Summit.

Padhi, who was speaking at the Defending Bharat panel at the summit, said, "We have got very small drones, FPV Kamikaze, where you see your target, the speed goes up to 140 km hr and then it drops directly and hits the target."

Padhi's comments gain significance as they challenge the traditional notion that defence technologies are expensive in nature, and it show that despite being Made in India (where all equipment may not be 100 per cent available), defence technologies can be cheaper when compared to others.

IG Drones recently gained traction after it was mentioned in a government release as one of the four drone companies which played a major role in Operation Sindoor -- where India targeted terrorist facilities at the India-Pakistan border and inside Pakistan.

Padhi, in fact, said that employees of IG Drones were trapped when they went to supply the Armed Forces with their drones on May 7.

"The conflict started on the 7th night. Four of my boys were trapped in the Poonch sector. I was worried about their safety. I rang up a few of my people, and somehow I could bring them back from the conflict."

Other panellists included Lt Gen (Dr) Inderjit Singh, Strategic Advisor, IdeaForge Technology, Veteran DRDO scientist Sudhir Kumar Mishra, president of Drone Federation of India, Smit Shah. The panel was moderated by Moneycontrol managing editor Nalin Mehta.