India Drones Market Size and Share Outlook - Forecast Trends and Growth Analysis Report (2025-2034)

The India drones market was valued at USD 680.16 Million in 2024. The industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 17.30% during the forecast period of 2025-2034. Robust government assistance, growing acceptance in agriculture, defense, mining, and surveillance, increasing industrial applications, advancing technologies, escalating private sector participation, and governmental reforms encouraging widespread and safe utilization of drones nationwide, which in turn is expected to push the market ahead to attain USD 3.35 billion by 2034.

India Drones Market Report Summary

Market Size 2024

• USD
• 680.16

Market Size 2034

• USD
• 3354.22
• CAGR 2025-2034
• 17.30%

CAGR 2025-2034 - Market by Region

• South India
• 19.7%

CAGR 2025-2034 - Market by Region

• East India
• 18.5%

CAGR 2025-2034 - Market by Component

• Services
• 17.8%

CAGR 2025-2034 - Market by Product

• Multi-Rotor
• 18.2%

2024 Market Share by Region

• North India
• 27.2%

India Drones Market Overview

According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), as of January 2025, over 29,500 drones are so far registered in India, with New Delhi witnessing a number of 4,882. Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra followed with a registered number of 4,588 and 4,132 respectively. Such data denotes the rising demand for drones in India for various kinds of purposes- ranging from military surveillance to commercial photography usage. Increasing adoption of drones for agriculture, defence, logistics, and infrastructure is also expected to spur India drones market expansion. Technological advancements, particularly in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), are rendering drone operations more intelligent and more efficient.

India Drones Market Growth

Drones in India take up a crucial position across various sectors. Drones are employed in crop monitoring, pesticide application, and yield assessment in agriculture to enable farmers to increase yields at a lower cost. Drones are used in border surveillance, reconnaissance, and threat neutralization in security and defense. Engineers and developers in the construction and infrastructure sector are utilizing drones to survey the site, monitor the structure, and track projects, saving labor and increasing accuracy, fueling growth of India drones market. Logistics companies are using drones for last-mile delivery and supply chain management, particularly in remote locations.

Key Trends and Recent Developments

Drones in India boost urban planning, agriculture, government initiatives, and local manufacturing, driving innovation and thus shaping the India drones market dynamics and trends.

February 2025

ideaForge Technology Limited launched four advanced UAVs namely NETRA 5, SWITCH V2, Tactical UAV (Concept), and Logistics UAV (Concept) at the Aero India 2025 in Bengaluru. These drones were designed in such a manner as to enhance the country’s industrial and defence capabilities to address critical operational challenges and ensure better performance during demanding missions.

February 2025

Garuda aerospace unveiled the launch of 8 new drones meant for military, safety and defence operations at Aero India 2025. The company will be launching a land mine detection and diffusement system, a new rocket launcher drone, logistics drone, the Thales Garuda UTM, a VR military drone simulator for training soldiers, a firefighting drone, Life Bouy drone for the Navy and Coast Guard and a grenade and canister dropping drone.

February 2025

Adani Defence & Aerospace, in partnership with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) launched India’s public-private partnership-based Vehicle-Mounted Counter-Drone System at the Aero India 2025. The state-of-the-art system represents an important step forward in India's defence preparedness against changing air threats. In view of growing drone deployment in contemporary warfare for both surveillance and offensive purposes, a strong anti-drone system has become essential.

February 2025

NewSpace Research and Technologies launched Abhimanyu, a jet-powered loyal wingman drone design for the Indian Navy at the Aero India. It is intended for carrier-based operations and offers to increase naval air combat effectiveness through manned-unmanned teaming.

Better urban planning and security

Drones are being used for the proper deployment of the Smart Cities Mission through enhanced urban planning, surveillance, and security. Their ability to monitor city infrastructure makes maintenance and security interventions proactive and data led. By providing improved surveillance, drones assist authorities in traffic management, urban development, and emergency response, making cities sustainable and resilient, thereby bolstering the India drones market growth.

Transforming infrastructure and agriculture

In India, drones in agriculture are playing a vital role in government programs such as PM-Kisan and SVAMITVA, where farmers can use them to control resources better. By land mapping and crop observation, drones support precision farming, resulting in more accurate predictions of yield and minimized wastage of resources. Drones also aid in landowner mapping under the SVAMITVA scheme by providing digital copies and reducing disputes.

Innovation via government projects

Drone technology has now become a building block of innovation in India, especially through the incorporation of numerous newly initiated government initiatives. They are efficient, precise, and can gather up-to-date information, which will help in advancing progress in fields like agriculture, infrastructure, disaster management, and urban planning. These unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are facilitating India's vision for a technologically driven, self-dependent nation, by revolutionizing the manner in which important government initiatives are rolled out, thus boosting the India drones demand.

Manufacturing indigenous drones

Companies like HC Robotics and IdeaForge are spearheading India's indigenous drone development. HC Robotics is unique in producing all components of the drone in-house, ensuring the "Made in India" status remains intact. Another company, IdeaForge, is pushing the UAV industry with cutting-edge, dependable solutions, enhancing India's global ranking in drone technology.

India Drones Market Trends

Artificial intelligence (AI) paired with machine learning (ML) is playing a significant role in the India drones market. AI facilitates autonomous navigation, real-time avoidance of obstacles, and routing optimization, leading to maximum efficiency of operations. ML algorithms enable drones to process large volumes of aerial images, enhancing data analysis in crop disease surveillance, inspection of infrastructure, and threat detection. AI-based predictive maintenance will help to reduce downtime and improve the reliability of drone fleets, thus supporting emerging trends in India drones market. In addition, AI-powered threat detection and response functions are improving the efficiency of drones used in defense and surveillance operations.

India Drones Market Opportunities

An opportunity for drones in India is their usage in urban planning. When it comes to developing a project spread over acres of land, it becomes hectic for the architects and engineers to have a complete view by road all the time. So now they are relying on these drones to have a proper view of these areas, click the desired picture and then with the help of AI, develop their desired features. Apart from these opportunities, the application of drones is slowly and steadily spreading across various other minute sectors, thus leading to new opportunities in the India drones market.

The government of India is striving to create innovative drones with all the latest features that will eventually serve the needs of different sectors or be produced independently for every sector. For example, India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is striving to launch a few sophisticated UAVs for improved surveillance. These also include DRDO Rustom-II (TAPAS-BH-201) that is a Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAV being upgraded for enhanced employment with the Indian Armed Forces. The UAV can carry a variety of diverse payloads including electronic intelligence systems, synthetic aperture radar, and situational awareness systems.

India Drones Market Restraints

Indian drone manufacturers are confronted with various challenges, despite the various advantages of using drones in the Indian scenario. Uncertainty in regulation is one of the largest issues, as fluctuating guidelines for drone operation and certification are causing confusion. Streamlining these processes through improved guidelines and faster approvals will drive adoption. Dependence on foreign components for domestic production is another challenge that can be addressed through strengthening domestic supply chain and encouraging domestic production of essential parts. Undue cost of production and limited R&D finance are also issues. More government incentives and tie-ups with private players can reverse these fiscal constraints. Additionally, the lack of experts in drone technology and AI demands focused training initiatives and academic partnerships.

India Drones Industry Segmentation

The report titled “India Drones Market Report and Forecast 2025-2034” offers a detailed analysis of the market based on the following segments:

Market Breakup by Component

• Hardware
• Software
• Services

Market Breakup by Product

• Fixed-wing
• Multi-Rotor
• Single-Rotor
• Hybrid

Market Breakup by Technology

• Remotely Operated
• Semi Autonomous
• Fully Autonomous

Market Breakup by Payload

• Upto 2kg
• 2kg to 19 kg
• 20kg to 200 kg
• Over 200 kg

Market Breakup by Power Source

• Battery-powered
• Gasoline-powered
• Hydrogen fuel cell
• Solar

Market Breakup by End Use

• Consumer
• Commercial
• Military
• Government

Market Breakup by Region

• North India
• South India
• East India
• West India

India Drones Market Share

Market Analysis by Component

The Indian drone ecosystem is gaining momentum with increasing demand in hardware, software, and services. As per India drones market analysis, hardware consists of frames, sensors, and propulsions, while software supports flight control and data analysis. Service-driven options such as drone-as-a-service and maintenance services are on the rise, bolstered by higher usage in agriculture, surveillance, and infrastructure. Favorable regulatory conditions and start-up ecosystem further boost component-level innovation and domestic production.

Market Analysis by Product

Indian consumers are adopting different types of drones. Fixed-wing for far-distance surveillance, multi-rotor for aerial mapping, single-rotor for precision application, and hybrid drones providing endurance and vertical take-off. Multi-rotors are particularly popular for use in agriculture and inspection owing to the agility they offer, thus boosting the India drones market development. Fixed-wing drones are being utilized in defense and big area surveys. Hybrid drones are catching up for use in delivery and border monitoring roles, leveraging agile deployment across sectors.

Market Analysis by Technology

Remotely controlled drones are gaining traction in India's present scenario, and are mostly being employed in surveillance, mapping, and monitoring. Semi-autonomous drones are gaining traction in logistics and agriculture, providing higher efficiency with some human intervention. Fully autonomous drones are slowly surfacing in industrial inspections, defense missions, and smart cities, spurred by improvements in AI and navigation systems. With growing confidence in drone automation, more industries are shifting to higher levels of autonomy.

Market Analysis by Payload

Drones with payloads up to 2kg are extensively used in mapping and surveillance. The 2kg-19kg segment is appropriate for agriculture and infrastructure monitoring, and 20kg-200kg drones are being used in logistics and military transport. According to the India drones industry analysis, heavy-payload drones above 200 kg are being developed for defense and disaster relief. Greater payload flexibility is the key to increasing industrial application and mission complexity.

Market Analysis by Power Source

Battery-operated drones are quite prevalent in the Indian market because of cost-effectiveness, simplicity, and applicability for short-range missions. Gasoline-powered drones are employed for longer-range missions such as defense, thereby boosting the India drones demand growth. Hydrogen fuel cell drones, although in their infancy, are gaining attention for long endurance, while solar drones have potential for long-duration surveillance. Development in sustainable and hybrid power systems will define India's future deployments of drones.

Market Analysis by End Use

Commercial use of drones is booming in Indian agriculture, infrastructure, and logistics, fueled by policy incentives and cost advantages. Drones find uses in the military for surveillance, reconnaissance, and combat operations. The government employs drones for mapping lands and responding to natural disasters. Recreational or hobbyist use characterizes consumer drones. Rapid adoption of drones in various end-use segments indicates increasing relevance of drones in India's economy, ranging from national security to precision agriculture.

India Drones Market Regional Analysis

CAGR 2025-2034 - Market by

• Region
• South India
• 19.7%
• East India
• 18.5%
• West India
• North India

North India Drones Market

After the Pahalgam terrorist attack in April 2025, the surveillance measures and tracking cross-border operations along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu & Kashmir has been made stringent. Drones here play a vital role in tracking any kind of suspicious movement-like arms handling or infiltration. The Indian army makes use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to track down terrorist movements and prevent any kind of attacks in sensitive regions. Presently, the army is dependent on drones made in Israel like Searcher and Heron for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.

South India Drones Market

South Indian states like Andhra have been using drones for flood relief operations, thus augmenting the disaster management ecosystem to a new high. In 2024, drones that were able to carry a 40 kg payload were deployed in the Vijayawada city for the efficient delivery of essential supplies in areas that were then inaccessible by conventional means. The Drones Corporation of Andhra Pradesh along with the state ministry was the first in the country to adopt such an initiative. This helped in setting up a great example for using drones for various relief operations in the country in future. Thus, drones have emerged as a crucial asset in India's disaster relief activities, providing swift access to flood-isolated regions. Their capacity to drop crucial supplies has been essential in recent flood relief activities.

East India Drones Market

Drone-based soil detection and agricultural analysis and development are bolstering the drones market in East India. IG Drones, an East Indian KIIT-TBI-incubated venture, has raised a Biotech Ignition Grant from BIRAC to employ drone-based analysis of soil and plant health within Northeast India's tea estates. The project aims at increasing tea productivity, promoting green environmental practices, and improving farmer livelihoods via real-time analytics on pest, nutrient, and soil moisture, facilitating data-led decisions to optimize crop management as well as improve the region's socioeconomic development.

West India Drones Market

Drone demand in West India is increasing with strategic applications in mining and law enforcement. In Rajasthan, drone surveys are made compulsory for all minor mineral leaseholders from April 2025 to prevent illegal mining and improve transparency. This involves annual aerial surveys and a one-time settlement scheme to clear discrepancies, to avoid revenue loss and ensure compliance.

At the same time, in Gujarat, the state police have initiated the GP-DRASTI project, using drones at 33 stations in cities such as Ahmedabad and Surat to cut crime response times by more than 50%. Also, Dahod district's drone monitoring resulted in a 2.5 to 3-fold reduction in crime rates within six months, proving drones' potential in improving public safety. Such factors have been bolstering the West India drones market.

Competitive Landscape

Key India drones market players are aimed at driving advancements across domains like security, logistics, agriculture and defence. Companies are making use of tactical UAVs for surveillance for military use. Others are focussing on drones for infrastructure monitoring and precision agriculture. Urban mobility and drone logistics are new areas of opportunities for India drone companies, prioritising autonomy and payload efficiency. Moreover, companies are investing in local counter-drone technologies in keeping with India's overall aim to become self-reliant and globally competitive in UAV systems.

ideaForge Technology Ltd.

Founded in 2007 and based in Mumbai, ideaForge offers sophisticated UAVs such as NETRA, Q6, and SWITCH for surveillance, mapping, and defense. Their drones are extensively utilized by Indian defense forces, police, and industrial users for dependable aerial intelligence.

NewSpace Research and Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

Established in 2017 and headquartered in Bengaluru, NewSpace is working on autonomous UAVs, swarm drones, and loyal wingman platforms for the military. It is working in collaboration with the Indian defense organizations to create next-generation combat and intelligence drone systems for strategic operations.

Garuda Aerospace Private Limited

Established in 2015 and based in Chennai, Garuda Aerospace produces drones for disaster management, defense, agriculture, and logistics. It offers products such as Kisan Drones and surveillance UAVs, targeting both commercial markets and government projects on the basis of affordability and usability.

IoTechWorld Avigation Pvt Ltd

IoTechWorld, a company founded in 2017 and headquartered in Gurugram, specializes in manufacturing agricultural drones for spraying, seeding, and crop monitoring. Its flagship offering, Agribot, is geared towards precision farming, allowing farmers to maximize yields and lower input costs with efficient drone-based agricultural solutions.

Other key players in the India drones market report are Asteria Aerospace Limited, Paras Aerospace Private Limited, Adani Defence and Aerospace, Dronix Technologies Private Limited, Johnnette Technologies Pvt Ltd, and Thanos Technologies Private Limited., among others.