Join Colonel Vikrant Shinde and Arindam Goswami in this episode of All Things Policy, where we dive into one of the most transformative developments in modern warfare and aviation: the rise of unmanned aerial systems. Vikrant, a Research Fellow at Takshashila, is working on a research paper on this very subject, which will be out very soon.

From their military origins to today's complex commercial ecosystem, drones have revolutionised our airspace - particularly what experts call the "Air Littoral," that critical zone below 10,000 feet where traditional aircrafts now share space with everything from delivery drones to weaponised UAVs.

The recent India-Pakistan conflict brought this reality into sharp focus, showing how drones have fundamentally transformed the battlefield. Meanwhile, countries like India are navigating the delicate balance between fostering innovation through regulations like the Drone Rules 2021 while simultaneously developing counter-UAS capabilities to address emerging security threats.

The discussion in this episode explores this new aerial frontier - where regulators, military strategists, and technology developers are racing to build systems that can distinguish friend from foe in increasingly congested skies. How do we manage this complex ecosystem? What lessons have recent conflicts taught us about drone warfare? And what does the future hold for airspace security?

Join us as we discuss about the technological challenges, regulatory frameworks, and defence strategies shaping the future of our skies.

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All Things Policy is a daily podcast on public policy brought to you by the Takshashila Institution, Bengaluru.

UAVs and Drones