What are SkyStrikers, Bengaluru-made autonomous drones likely deployed in Operation Sindoor?

The Army had placed an emergency procurement order for around 100 SkyStrikers in 2021 following India's air strikes in Pakistan's Balakot. (Image Credit: Elbit Systems)

In the wee hours of Wednesday, Indian armed forces launched a deadly assault on terror installations located in Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir, inflicting significant damages to key bases of terrorist groups like Jaish-e-Muhammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba.

A key feature of India's retaliatory action, that came in the aftermath of the killing of 26 civilians in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, was the precision with which it struck pre-identified targets while ensuring minimum damage to military and civilian installations.

While security sources revealed that India utilized SCALP cruise missile, the HAMMER precision bomb, and loitering munitions to give event to the attack at nine locations, it is now learnt that the SkyStriker drones, unmanned aerial vehicles added to the Indian Army's arsenal post-Balakot, also made its debut in India's precision strikes.

According to a report in Times Of India, SkyStriker drones were part of Operation Sindoor carried out early Wednesday. The report cited sources as saying that an unspecified number of these drones were manufactured in an industrial estate in western Bengaluru as part of a joint venture between Bengaluru-based Alpha Design and Israel's Elbit Security Systema.

What is SkyStriker?

SkyStriker is a fully autonomous loitering munitions (LM) that can locate, acquire and strike operator designated targets with a 5 or 10 Kg warhead installed inside the fuselage, enabling high-precision performance.

According to Elbit, the stealthy, undetectable, and unexpected attacker can autonomously detect, track, and engage diverse targets within tactical environments, providing unparalleled precision and dependability on the modern battlefield.

"SkyStriker’s electric propulsion offers a low acoustic signature, allowing covert operations at low altitude. As a silent, invisible, and surprise attacker, SkyStriker delivers the utmost in precision and reliability, providing a critical advantage in the modern battlefield," a description on the website of Elbit Systems said.

SkyStriker mission capabilities

According to Elbit, SkyStriker enhances the capabilities of units on the field, enabling them to execute precise missions more effectively. The fully autonomous loitering munitions can locate, acquire, and strike identified targets with a 5kg or 10kg warhead housed within the fuselage, delivering high-precision performance.

These drones can accurately hit targets while ensuring human oversight, even in situations where GPS and communication are unavailable. The SkyStriker system also allows the operator to cancel a strike as close as two seconds to impact, re-engage if necessary and command a safe return home if no targets are available.

According to Times Of India, Alpha Design's CMD Colonel (retd) HS Shankar declined to comment on reports of SkyStrikers playing a role in Operation Sindoor and said that such queries must only be referred to government authorities.