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Picture this: You come across a headline announcing a governmental acquisition of a state-of-the-art aircraft valued at $500 Million. It boasts superiority over nearly all other defensive aircraft within its class. As a fan of the armed forces, you feel a surge of confidence, a sense of pride, your senses reassured by the advancements within the defence industry. This is big! The sleep that night is unusually pleasant and peaceful.
Now, picture this: There exists an unknown teenager. Misled by its states politics and agenda with the only ideology clouding its mind is hatred against our nation. Stationed in a makeshift caravan just across the border, he is armed with nothing more than a 200 laptop and a drone bearing enough potential to effortlessly dismantle your multi-billion-dollar marvel. There could be one failed attempt or multiple but he will get through and the cost in comparison to 500 billion target is miniscule.
This isn’t sci-fi. It’s not some dramatic conspiracy theory either. It’s our reality—closer than we’d like to admit. In a span of just over a century, humanity has progressed from an 800-meter flight in 1904 to voyaging beyond Pluto. Yet, the development of compact, surveillance-capable flying devices, a concept conceived in the 18th century, has only caught up in recent decades. Modern ICs have handed the world a cheap, compact, and deadly innovation: the drone. Once a tool for hobbyists, entertainment, videography and delivery, which it does better than anything else, drones’ small-scale transportation purpose has effortlessly found its way into the grim world of modern conflict.
And why wouldn’t they? They’re inexpensive, ridiculously easy to operate (thank you, video game culture), and alarmingly effective. A drone can carry explosives, conduct surveillance, chase an army personnel without tiring itself, shoot down tanks, or, worse, target civilians or planes. It’s the stuff of nightmares, all packaged in a compact little flying device.
So, the question is: What are we doing about drones?
At Armory, we’re asking ourselves the same question which leads to even tougher ones, that weigh heavily on our minds at Armory: What measures are we implementing to address the proliferation of drones? What are we doing about them?
And the answers are… complicated. Sure, the defense budget has increased with an intent to foster development, we are unsure if this is enough. Are we truly prepared to counter the growing threat of drones? Or are we just patting ourselves on the back, content with outdated systems that can barely keep up as they echo the sentiments that we desire to hear?
Here’s the harsh truth: We’re not as ready as we should be.
Hardware is a necessity, software is still a king.
As things stand, it does not seem like we are as prepped as we should be. We need cutting edge technology integrated into our defense systems and an often neglected part of this is software. Why software? Imagine a state-of-the-art anti-drone weapon system being installed along a high-risk border. It looks impressive, brimming with cutting-edge hardware. But the software? Outdated, buggy, and can’t differentiate between a harmless weather balloon and an incoming drone. Result? False alarms or worse—missed threats. This isn’t hypothetical; it’s a reality we’ve seen before. The sophistication of hardware must be matched by the intelligence of its software. Without robust programming, even the most advanced systems could risk being expensive paperweights.
And guess what; Our software lags behind in software because our hardware lags behind in hardware. Why? Because they’re too busy building or, for lack of a better term, assembling the hardware. Assemblers of parts of which the only 'Make In India' component is the sticker plastered on top of it. We have for the long run a culture of white labelling and we have to whitewash this yesterday.
Meanwhile, deep tech startups—with their speed, agility, and innovative thinking—still get sidelined. Why? Because big players dominate the game. It is not to say that they haven't kept us to pace, they have but that pace is way too outdated. It is too slow to keep up with the task at hand. Startup engineers, with their agility and focus, have the potential to move faster in terms of capacity, speed, and scalability—even in R&D. Their ability to adapt quickly and innovate at a rapid pace gives them a distinct advantage in tackling emerging challenges.
And the reasons are simple. The giants have no incentive to move fast. Delays are profitable. Deadlines are elastic. Efficiency is optional. But startups? Startups thrive on results. Quick wins are their oxygen. Nations around the world are leveraging their startups to solve persistent defense challenges. It’s high time we did the same in the defense space. We had start-ups like PayTM and Razorpay revolutionising the digital payments and finance sector; Practo and 1mg in the healthcare sector making it more accessible and affordable; Banyan Nation and Recircle in the waste management sector, improving the recycling and sustainable practices like Swachh Bharat never could. The list goes on, and we aim to be a part of that list, revolutionising the Defense space, solving urgent, new-age problems of our nation, one step at a time.
The Engineer Problem
Here’s another issue: Where are our hardware engineers? And why isn’t anyone concerned about them jumping ship towards software? It is tough to make an argument that talent is rare since it clearly isn’t the case. Our R&D sector is underfunded, undervalued, uninspiring and least marketed. Our brightest minds are flocking to IT giants and startups, leaving defense, R&D and hardware in the dust. The result? We’re years behind our adversaries. This isn’t a lack of capability; it’s a case of complacency.
The Indian media tends to be clueless with most things hardware and the industry simply does not get the recognition it deserves. It is tough to convince intelligence when the only thing that gets talked about for months in the name of accomplishment is high profile IPO’s or how a guy in Meerut built a helicopter out of trash! The same demographic then gets surprised and asks “What are we doing?” when China drops two AI models and two 5th generation fighter jets in a span of 4 weeks.
This has to change, and this changes now.
Where Armory Steps In
At Armory, we’re tackling the drone problem head-on. Our first step? Building the capacity to detect and neutralize rogue drones. It’s not glamorous, but it’s critical. Much like the global arms race led to an era of nuclear deterrence, the focus on drone defense is the next big frontier. Nations equipped to counter drone threats will serve as deterrents to conflict. Those that aren’t? They’ll be sitting ducks for aerial ambushes.
Our mission is to foster a new generation of defense engineers and technologists who can think fast, act faster, and outpace the threat landscape. Because let’s face it: The battlefield isn’t going to wait for us to catch up.
The Bigger Picture
The drone threat isn’t just about defense. It’s about resilience, innovation, and adaptability. It’s about empowering startups, revitalizing R&D, and creating an ecosystem that prioritizes progress over profit. Most importantly, it’s about ensuring that the next headline you read isn’t about a $5 million tank being taken down by a $200 drone.
At Armory, our vision is clear: A nation that’s prepared, resilient, and always one step ahead. Because when it comes to defense, complacency isn’t an option.
