India’s Air warfare: India is not dropping manned fighter jets anytime soon. The main idea is simple. Fighter pilots will still stay at the center of air combat for now, while drones and AI slowly take a bigger role later. Recent official reporting shows this kind of mixed path in India’s air planning, with more focus on drones, MUM-T, and future fighter aircraft instead of a sudden switch to full automation.
There is a good reason for this. In a real war, a human pilot can still make fast judgment calls that a machine may not handle well. That matters when the sky is crowded, when civilians are nearby, or when the situation changes very quickly. Drones are useful, but they can also face trouble when signals are jammed or links are disrupted. So the safer path is to keep humans in charge for now and let machines help them, not replace them fully.
Why The Hybrid Model Matters
This is where “Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T)” comes in. The idea is that a fighter jet flies with drones, controls them, and uses them for the riskiest jobs. In this setup, the pilot becomes a kind of airborne boss. The drones can do scouting, jamming, and strike work while the manned aircraft stays safer. India has already been talking about this model in official defence forums, and HAL has also described CATS and the CATS Warrior as part of its manned-unmanned teaming work.
Two names keep coming up in this space. One is the Ghatak UCAV, which is being linked with engine work and future unmanned combat use. The other is CATS Warrior, HAL’s “loyal wingman” style drone. These programs show that India is not treating drones like side toys. It is building them as serious partners for fighter jets. That hybrid setup is meant to lower risk and keep combat power strong at the same time.
The Road Ahead For Fighter Jets
India’s fighter roadmap still has a manned backbone. The Tejas Mk2 is moving ahead, and a 2025 Ministry of Defence update said more than Rs 9,000 crore had been sanctioned for its development. DRDO-linked reporting in 2025 also said the more capable LCA-Mk2 was expected to make its first flight in early 2026. The same reporting said the AMCA prototype could roll out by end-2026 or early-2027, with service around 2034 to 2035, while later reporting in 2025 also pointed to first operational AMCA by 2035.
Project Kusha is another big piece of the picture. DRDO reporting in 2025 and 2026 described it as India’s long-range air defence project, with a range around 350 km and an expected deployment window around 2028 to 2029. Some updates described a three-tier shield with interceptor variants and a goal of protecting against stealth aircraft, cruise missiles, and drones. So while the future is getting more robotic, the shield around that future is also being built right now.
