IAF starts work on ‘Vayu Baan’, India’s first helicopter-dropped drone project

2026-03-28 - 21:19

Vayu Baan is an indigenous air-launched effects (ALE) programme designed to integrate unmanned aerial systems directly with manned rotary-wing platforms. It is a small, autonomous drone designed to be dropped from a moving helicopter mid-flight. Once released, the drone unfolds its wings, activates its propulsion and operates as either a surveillance asset or a precision-guided munition (kamikaze drone).