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Military platforms, drones and new weapons

The platforms that carry military power, and new kinds of weapon: aircraft and their engines, ships and submarines, tanks and artillery, drones and counter drone systems, and directed energy and electronic warfare. Prelims has asked about fifth generation fighters, stealth and drone swarms.

UPSC has asked

  • Prelims 2026: stealth technology, radar cross-section and radar absorbing material
  • Prelims 2025: unmanned aerial vehicles, their landing, hovering and power

Showing 2 of 9 subjects, those that changed from 1 to 15 July 2026.Show all

AI, drones and autonomy in warfare

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Mains

The kill chain runs find, fix, track, target, engage and assess. Its weak point was always the human capacity to fuse imagery, signals and other intelligence fast enough, which is the gap artificial intelligence now fills. A one way attack drone flies to its target and destroys itself. Akashteer is India's indigenous automated air defence control and reporting system.

What changed

  1. 7 Jul 2026Update

    • In the conflict between the United States and Iran about 90 per cent of roughly 4,400 attack drones were shot down, yet each drone cost tens of thousands of dollars against about four million for an interceptor. During Operation Sindoor Pakistan launched 300 to 400 drones at 36 Indian locations in one night.

    Mains: the advantage lies in sensor fusion, decision speed and cost per shot, so India needs cheap drones in the hundreds and cheap ways to stop them, such as directed energy weapons and jamming.

    Frontline, 7 Jul 2026: The drone exchanges of the United States and Iran conflict showed that a defender can intercept nine drones in ten and still lose on cost, which is the lesson India's own drone and counter drone programmes have to absorb. (opens in a new tab) · The Indian Express, 6 Jul 2026: Drones, autonomy and algorithms are reshaping warfare, and India is being urged to treat it as a turning point (opens in a new tab)

  2. 1 Jul 2026New subject

    • The United States made Project Maven, which began in 2017 as computer vision for drone footage, a core command platform in March 2026. A system that narrows thousands of possibilities to a ranked shortlist has shaped the decision even when a human approves it.

    Frontline, 1 Jul 2026: Artificial intelligence has moved from experiment into the operational targeting chain, which raises the question of how much a human commander is really deciding when the machine has already shortened the list. (opens in a new tab)

UPSC has asked

  • Prelims 2026: drone swarms and how they are countered

Project 17A frigates

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Prelims

Project 17A is the Navy's class of seven stealth frigates, designed by its Warship Design Bureau and built at Mazagon Dock and Garden Reach with more than 75 per cent indigenous content.

What changed

  1. 11 Jul 2026New subject

    • INS Mahendragiri, the sixth Project 17A stealth frigate, joined the Eastern Fleet. The class is designed by the Navy's Warship Design Bureau, and this ship was built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders with more than 75 per cent indigenous content.
    • The earlier ships are Nilgiri, Udaygiri, Himgiri, Taragiri and Dunagiri.

    PIB, 11 Jul 2026: Govt is committed to invest in next-gen tech while strengthening conventional capabilities: RM (opens in a new tab) · The Hindu, 6 Jul 2026: Stealth frigate Mahendragiri set to join Indian Navy (opens in a new tab)