Indian Army Raises First Baaz Battalion Under 11 Corps for Drone Ops on Pakistan Front

The Indian Army has raised its first dedicated Baaz Battalion under the Jalandhar-based 11 Corps, or Vajra Corps, creating a specialised unit for remotely piloted aircraft and unmanned systems operations along the western front with Pakistan. Established in Jalandhar, the battalion is part of a wider post-Operation Sindoor overhaul aimed at building a more structured force for drone warfare, with trained personnel, dedicated procedures and a clearer chain for operating increasingly complex unmanned fleets.

The new unit has been named “Baaz”, the Hindi word for hawk, reflecting the bird’s association with sharp vision, long-range tracking and precision targeting. Its mottos — “New Wings. New Capability. Decisive Edge” and “Eyes in the Sky. Edge on the Battlefield.” — capture the Army’s intention to turn unmanned systems into a more integrated operational capability rather than a series of isolated platforms. During the raising, the General Officer Commanding of Vajra Corps and all ranks extended best wishes to the battalion’s personnel, with the GOC stressing the integration of technology, innovation and operational excellence.

Why the Army is creating Baaz Battalions

The Army first publicly outlined the idea in late June 2026, when then Chief of the Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi described it as one of the key measures under the force’s “Decade of Transformation”. The battalion builds on the existing Remotely Piloted Aircraft Flights and is meant to create a specialist pool of personnel responsible for the full lifecycle of RPA operations — from deployment and maintenance to data exploitation, software upgrades, training standardisation and integration with ground formations.

The move reflects operational lessons drawn from two distinct fronts. Prolonged deployments and standoffs along the Line of Actual Control with China showed the value of persistent, high-altitude and deep-area surveillance. More immediately, Operation Sindoor — the Indian military response in May 2025 against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied territory — demonstrated how drones and unmanned systems can shape intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, target acquisition, suppression of enemy air defences and precision effects. In that operation, drones and surveillance platforms helped build a clearer picture of the battlefield and influenced decisions in a high-tempo environment.

The scale of the Army’s unmanned inventory has also changed rapidly. From a few hundred drones roughly two years ago, the force now fields more than 50,000 unmanned systems, with projections that the number could double within two to three years. Such growth requires specialist manpower, standardised procedures, fast replenishment cycles and the ability to handle large volumes of data — tasks that conventional formations are not designed to absorb efficiently.

How Baaz fits into the Army’s drone structure

Baaz sits at a higher operational layer in the Army’s emerging multi-tier unmanned architecture. At the tactical level, Ashini or Ashni drone platoons embedded in infantry battalions are intended for short-range, immediate-vicinity surveillance and limited offensive use, typically with quadcopter-style platforms. In the Artillery, Divyastra batteries — and the planned Shaktiban regiments — focus on longer-range target detection and the use of loitering munitions, or one-way attack drones. The Armoured Corps is also experimenting with Shaurya squadrons to improve reconnaissance and manoeuvre support through aerial assets.

Baaz Battalions are placed above these tactical layers and are intended to function under the Army Aviation Corps as a centralised nerve centre for operational-level ISR, deep-penetration reconnaissance, target designation, data fusion and coordination across mixed fleets. The idea is to create sustained battlefield awareness, shorten the sensor-to-shooter cycle and support both defensive monitoring and offensive shaping along contested borders.

Platforms the battalion will operate

The battalion is configured for larger and longer-endurance systems than those assigned to infantry or artillery sub-units. Confirmed and planned platforms include Searcher-class UAVs, medium-altitude long-endurance systems such as the Israeli Heron and Hermes families, and high-altitude long-endurance aircraft, including the MQ-9B SkyGuardian being acquired from General Atomics under a major government-to-government deal.

The unit will also work with a growing inventory of Indian-made tactical and operational UAVs from companies including IdeaForge, SMPP and NewSpace Research. Looking ahead, there is potential for future integration of DRDO’s Ghatak stealth UCAV and other indigenous armed or strike platforms. The broader ecosystem under Baaz management will include armed UAVs, FPV drones, loitering munitions and logistics drones, with AI-based battlefield decision-support systems expected to help sort and exploit the large amount of information generated by the mixed fleet.

Why Jalandhar and 11 Corps matter

The first Baaz Battalion has been raised under 11 Corps, or Vajra Corps, headquartered in Jalandhar. Known as the “Defenders of Punjab”, the Corps is responsible for some of the most sensitive stretches of the India-Pakistan international border in northern Punjab, an area that saw major fighting in both the 1965 and 1971 wars. Placing the first unit here is meant to improve aerial agility, responsiveness and reach in a sector that remains operationally significant.

The battalion will operate alongside the existing Army Aviation Squadron in Jalandhar, which flies Cheetah and Chetak helicopters and also supports Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief tasks. Together, the helicopter squadron and Baaz Battalion create a stronger aerial layer for the Corps. Officials say the new unit adds a fresh dimension by giving frontline formations advanced surveillance and situational-awareness tools while centralising the technical and logistical demands of high-intensity drone operations.

Part of a wider Army transformation

No final number of Baaz Battalions has been announced, but the model is expected to be replicated in other field formations as the Army expands its unmanned inventory across the western and northern fronts. The raising also aligns with other structural reforms, including Bhairav Battalions, Rudra all-arms brigades and Unified Control Centres at division level for coordinating UAS and counter-UAS assets.

The larger shift goes beyond simply adding drones to existing units. The Army is building a dedicated organisational and human capital framework around unmanned systems, with an emphasis on continuous sensing, rapid decision-making, precision effects and adaptation in contested electromagnetic and aerial environments. Those priorities reflect lessons from recent Indian operations as well as global conflicts that have shown how central unmanned systems have become to modern combat.

For the Army, the first Baaz Battalion under 11 Corps is therefore not just a new formation in Jalandhar. It is the first operational expression of a broader doctrinal and structural change intended to give Indian ground forces a more persistent edge in the skies over one of the country’s most sensitive frontiers.