Will India Focus on Potential Ukrainian Drone Technology?

India’s primary concern would not necessarily be the supply of drones developed by leading Ukrainian drone and missile manufacturer ‘Fire Point’ to Pakistan, as Ukraine is unlikely to deliver them amid the ongoing war with Russia. New Delhi should instead be more focused on the possibility of a technology pipeline developing between the two countries than on the acquisition of a specific weapon. Pakistan has already declared the rapid expansion and local production of unmanned aerial systems to be a top ‘national priority’. Islamabad aims to acquire know-how from a defence industry that has been forced by war to quickly innovate in areas such as long-range strikes, navigation, electronic warfare, resilience, and mass production by working with private commercial firms. The country has already encouraged privatesector participation in defence production, and domestic firms have expanded their work on indigenous UAVs, including testing locally developed engines and propulsion systems. The country has also expanded its military drone fleet in light of lessons learned on the battlefield in Ukraine. Therefore, training, production assistance, components, software, manufacturing techniques, and operational experience could ultimately be more significant than the number of imported drones. India’s traditional advantage of strategic depth could come under pressure as Ukraine’s leading drone and missile manufacturer, Fire Point, explores offering Pakistan its technologies and wartime experience.