India is preparing to commission its first dedicated military drone base, a massive 900-acre facility in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, that will fundamentally change how the Indian Army deploys unmanned aerial systems. Unlike a traditional airbase where fighter jets rule the tarmac, this will be a base designed exclusively for drone operations: a new kind of military infrastructure built for the era of autonomous warfare.
The facility, being constructed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), will feature two large hangars and a 2,110-metre runway, long enough to support heavy-lift transport aircraft like the C-130 in addition to long-range drones such as the Predator and Heron. BRO estimates full completion within 80 to 85 months. When operational, India will become only the fifth country in the world to run a dedicated military drone base, joining an exclusive club that currently includes only the United States, China, Israel, and Turkey.
Operation Sindoor: The mission that made this base inevitable
The strategic rationale for the Meerut drone base has a clear origin: Operation Sindoor. During the operation, the Indian military deployed four types of drones against three target categories– terrorist camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Chinese-made air defence systems fielded by Pakistan, and the strategically significant Nur Khan Airbase. The outcome was unambiguous: every single drone hit its designated target, delivering a 100% success rate.
That performance reset military thinking in New Delhi. If drones can reliably neutralise air defence systems and strategic airbases without a single miss, the case for a purpose-built drone infrastructure becomes impossible to ignore. The Meerut base is, in many ways, Operation Sindoor’s most lasting strategic consequence.
Strategic advantages of a dedicated drone base
A dedicated drone base delivers several tactical advantages over a conventional airbase. Operating costs are significantly lower, with fewer personnel, reduced maintenance overhead, and no need for the vast support infrastructure that fighter jet operations demand. Continuous surveillance becomes possible because, as one drone completes its mission window (often 12 or more hours), another can launch immediately, enabling 24/7 coverage without gaps. In a conflict scenario, having all assets concentrated at one hub also means drones can be rapidly dispatched to multiple fronts simultaneously.
Navy’s INS Baaz and the V-BAT: India’s drone arsenal grows on two fronts
The Meerut base is not India’s only drone infrastructure push. The Indian Navy is simultaneously upgrading INS Baaz in the Nicobar Islands, operational since 2012, from a maritime patrol station into a full drone hub. Its runway is being extended to 3,000 metres to accommodate Predator-class drones, giving India persistent surveillance across the entire Indian Ocean, a critical priority given China’s expanding naval presence in the region.
On the hardware side, India’s armed forces currently operate approximately 200 long-range drones and 5,000 attack drones. To accelerate expansion, the government has signed an agreement with a US company to co-produce V-BAT drones domestically. The V-BAT’s defining feature is its vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capability; it needs no runway and can launch from any position. It can carry four short-range missiles or GPS-guided smart bombs, making it lethal in both surveillance and precision-strike roles.
Taken together, the Meerut base, the INS Baaz upgrade, and a rapidly growing drone fleet, India’s drone warfare capability is undergoing a generational transformation. The message to adversaries is unambiguous: the next time a major terrorist attack is traced back to Pakistan-linked groups, India’s response will not be constrained by geography, aircraft availability, or pilot risk. The drones will be ready.
