The Indian Navy has launched a procurement process for next-generation expendable aerial target drones to improve live-fire air defense training against fast, low-flying threats.

The Indian Ministry of Defence has issued a request for information for the Expendable Aerial Target Next Generation (EAT NG), a system intended to replicate the speed, flight profile, and maneuvers of modern sea-skimming missiles during naval exercises, according to a report by local defense news site Bharat Shakti.

Unlike reusable targets, these drones are designed to be destroyed, allowing ship crews to train under conditions that closely mirror combat.

This development underscores India’s push for greater self-reliance in defense procurement.

The ministry has asked vendors whether the system can be supplied under the Buy Indian–IDDM category, which requires more than 50 percent indigenous content, or under the Buy Indian route with over 60 percent local content, in line with the Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020.

Drone Requirement

Under the request, the navy is seeking a target capable of flying at speeds of at least 300 meters (984 feet) per second while operating at very low altitude, including flight as low as five meters (16 feet) above sea level.

Endurance of up to 60 minutes is required, along with the ability to execute sustained turns of up to 2G to simulate evasive missile behavior.

Operational requirements also include both remote-controlled and fully autonomous flight modes. The system must support control ranges of up to 100 kilometers (62 miles) and allow a single ground control station to manage multiple targets simultaneously.

Launch options are expected to include rocket-assisted take-off from ships or shore facilities, with provisions for recovery after sea ditching if required.

For training assessment, the target must carry an acoustic miss-distance indicator to record near-misses from naval guns and surface-to-air missiles. The drone should also feature a low radar cross-section by default, with options to modify its signature to suit different training scenarios.

India’s Broader Push on Drone Modernization

India’s request for next-generation expendable aerial targets is part of a wider modernization effort in unmanned systems and counter-drone capabilities.

In 2024, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) completed multiple flight trials of the high-speed Abhyas expendable aerial target, demonstrating performance across key mission parameters and moving the system closer to operational use.

India’s private sector also stepped up involvement in unmanned and counter-drone technologies.

At Aero India 2025, Adani Defence & Aerospace and DRDO jointly unveiled a vehicle-mounted counter-drone system designed to detect and defeat hostile unmanned aircraft.

Investment in domestic drone production also accelerated in 2025 when JSW Group and Shield AI announced plans for a manufacturing facility in Hyderabad.