Alongside Scalp cruise missiles and HAMMER bombs, which were India’s weapons of choice for destroying terror camps in Pakistan, the Indian Army also deployed indigenously-built SkyStriker ‘suicide drones’ for precision strikes, sources said.
The SkyStriker ‘suicide drones’, developed by Bengaluru-based Alpha Design (ADTL) in collaboration with Israel’s Elbit Systems, made their operational debut during Operation Sindoor in the forward areas of Jammu and Kashmir.
Designed to locate and strike enemy targets, the loitering munitions are capable of carrying a 5kg warhead and delivering direct-fire aerial precision attacks within a range of 100 km. The drones were inducted into the Indian Army under a 2021 procurement contract for 100 such UAVs.
Sources said the SkyStrikers were deployed effectively in anti-terror operations, specifically in targeting infrastructure across the border in Pakistan-occupied regions.
These suicide drones, also known as Kamikaze drones, are cost-effective and capable of long-range strikes. They add a critical edge to search-and-destroy missions, especially in counter-terror and shoot-to-kill operations involving threats like enemy drones, radar systems, and launch pads.
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