Army set to procure anti-drone ammo for its Russian weapons

Looking to tackle enemy drones, the Army wants to get specialised ‘anti-drone’ ammunition for two of its Russian-origin weapon systems.

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BSF using jammers

Along the India-Pak border, the BSF uses laser-guided jammers to tackle drones carrying narcotics from Pakistan. In 2024, around 290 small drones were seized in Punjab

The Ministry of Defence on Thursday issued a request for information (RFI), asking Indian suppliers to send in their proposals to indigenously make 23-mm anti-drone ammunition. The RFI is the first step in the acquisition process. Defence public sector undertakings and private vendors are eligible to send their proposals to the ministry.

Elsewhere along the India-Pak border, the Border Security Force already uses laser-guided jammers to tackle drones carrying narcotics from Pakistan. In 2024, around 290 small drones were recovered in Punjab. Some of these had been jammed and disabled mid-air.

The project which the Army is looking at is different. The military-use drones pose a different kind of threat and could carry a small explosive and drop it at a group of troops, tank or an artillery gun. It needs to be tackled with a different method.

The 23-mm anti-drone ammunition is intended to be used with the existing air defence weapons the ‘Zu 23-mm’ and the ‘Schilka’. Both weapons are used by the Army for close air defence.

Countering these drones with the current gun ammunition is a challenge, hence the need for the specialised ammunition. Both the Zu 23-mm and Schilka have a high rate of fire and use specific “armour piercing” ammunition. However, the hit probability is low as the guns are manually controlled and the ammunition can cause damage only on a direct hit at a target.

To tackle this, the Army is looking at ammunition that will have a “proximity fuse” capable of detonating near the enemy drone. The need to add anti-drone equipment stems from the recent Russia-Ukraine and the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflicts, where drones have been used extensively.