Surveillance boost: Army to raise ‘Baaz Battalions’

The Indian Army is raising dedicated ‘Baaz Battalions’ to significantly enhance its Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) capability, a move aimed at strengthening battlefield surveillance, intelligence gathering and rapid response through a specialised drone force, defence sources said.

Sources in the Indian Army have confirmed the development and said that the new battalions will be built upon the Army’s existing RPA Flights and will comprise a specialist pool of trained personnel responsible for operating and managing Remotely Piloted Aircraft systems.

The decision to establish the Baaz Battalions, sources said, has been driven by operational lessons from recent border standoffs along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, as well as the successful employment of drone capabilities during Operation Sindoor against Pakistan in May last year.

The Baaz Battalions will centralise the Army’s expanding drone capabilities and will be designed to handle the entire lifecycle of RPA operations. This specialised structure is expected to provide frontline units with advanced aerial surveillance tools and real-time intelligence, enabling faster and more informed decision-making during operations.