IAF Demonstrates Indigenous ‘Vayu UTtaM’ System for Drone Airspace Management
The Indian Air Force on Monday launched Dronathon 2026, a three-day event being held from September 14 to 16 at the Pokhran range in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer to showcase and assess indigenous unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and counter-UAS technologies.
The event aims to provide Indian defence companies, start-ups and technology developers a platform to demonstrate their capabilities while enabling the IAF to evaluate emerging systems against operational requirements. It also seeks to strengthen collaboration with domestic industry and identify indigenous, scalable solutions for the unmanned domain. Dronathon 2026 was inaugurated by IAF Vice Chief Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit. More than 20 defence companies, start-ups, MSMEs, DPSUs and innovators are participating.
Live demonstrations cover surveillance and reconnaissance, electronic warfare, autonomous operations, loitering munitions, logistics and delivery drones, mapping and surveying systems and counter-drone technologies. Several systems incorporate artificial intelligence, autonomous navigation, real-time data transmission and advanced payloads.
The technologies are being demonstrated for defence and border surveillance as well as potential applications in disaster management, infrastructure inspection and other civilian areas. A key highlight was the demonstration of ‘Vayu UTtaM’, an indigenous multi-mode Unmanned Traffic Management system. During a real-time demonstration, the ground-based system detected and tracked both military and civil UAS.
The system is designed to help coordinate drone operations in increasingly congested airspace and support the identification and timely mitigation of unauthorised or rogue drones. Officials said it could also find applications in civil aviation, airspace safety, critical infrastructure and public safety.
Air Marshal Dixit also released the ‘IAF UAS Roadmap’, outlining future capability priorities for industry, academia and research organisations. The IAF said the event focuses on moving from technology demonstration to operational effectiveness, assessing reliability and performance in demanding environments. Dronathon is part of the IAF's continuing effort to develop and induct indigenous unmanned capabilities under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.