New Delhi, June 10 -- In the coming years, the defining threat along the India-Pakistan border may not come from jets or missiles, but from a fleet of silent, unmanned drones. As global warfare adapts to rapid technological change, India is moving-cautiously but deliberately-to ensure it is not left behind.

Recent cross-border incidents have already shown that drone warfare is no longer the future-it is the battlefield present. In May, Indian defence forces faced a sudden spike in hostile UAV activity along the Line of Control. The response was swift.

Within days, New Delhi approved Rs.3,900 crore in emergency drone procurements, while simultaneously accelerating trials of the DRDO's indigenous loitering munitions and micro-missile syst...