Loitering Munitions Redefine Modern Warfare as India Inducts 106 Agniveg Turbojet Kamikaze Drones

The term “kamikaze” traces its origin to the Second World War, when Japan deployed pilots to deliberately crash aircraft into Allied naval vessels in suicide missions. More than eight decades later, the term is now used to describe unmanned loitering munitions that locate targets and destroy them through deliberate impact.

According to India’s Department of Defence Production, these systems offer two key tactical advantages. They enable rapid response without requiring high-value military assets to be pre-deployed in operational zones. Additionally, their low cost makes battlefield losses significantly less burdensome for armed forces. These drones also provide operational flexibility, as they can be pre-programmed to strike targets while allowing strike missions to be modified or aborted mid-flight.

Deployed in swarm formations, loitering munitions are capable of overwhelming enemy air defence systems. The Indian Council of World Affairs has noted that major global powers are increasingly adapting to low-cost innovations such as drones, loitering munitions, and electronic warfare systems, driven primarily by economic and cost-benefit considerations.

The Iran-designed Shahed-136 has emerged as a key reference point in this evolving battlefield category. Defence analysts state it played a significant role in Iran’s offensive operations against American military installations across West Asia following a joint US and Israel attack in late-February. According to Reuters, the Shahed-136 costs approximately 20,000 US dollars per unit to produce.

In stark contrast, the Council on Foreign Relations reported that US Patriot air defence missiles used to intercept Shahed drones in West Asia cost approximately 4 million US dollars per unit, highlighting a severe cost asymmetry in modern aerial warfare.

This imbalance had already been recognised by the United States prior to the West Asia conflict. In 2025, Washington initiated the development of its own low-cost unmanned combat systems manufactured by Arizona-based Spekteworks. The resulting platform, known as LUCAS or Low-Cost Unmanned Combat Attack System, was developed at approximately 35,000 US dollars per unit and was deployed within eight months of its unveiling at the Pentagon, reportedly seeing operational use in West Asia.

The Shahed platform’s combat deployment predates the West Asia escalation. The Wall Street Journal reported in June 2025 that Russia had extensively deployed Shahed drones, launching them in large coordinated salvos. Ukraine, engaged in conflict with Russia since 2002, responded by expanding domestic drone production, including low-cost interceptor drones designed to neutralise Shahed systems, according to Associated Press reporting. Kyiv also adapted its defensive strategies against Russian drone and electronic warfare tactics. According to a Council on Foreign Relations analysis, Ukraine incorporated fibre-optic guided one-way attack systems to counter jamming and deployed physical nets to intercept drones approaching critical supply routes. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated in March that the United States Department of Defense had sought Kyiv’s assistance in countering Iranian drone technologies.

India’s response to the expanding use of such systems in active conflict zones is the Agniveg, formally known as the Jet Based Peacekeeper, manufactured by domestic firm SMPP. During an event marking the delivery of 106 Agniveg units to the Indian Army, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh stated that modern warfare enables even smaller powers to inflict significant damage through compact yet highly destructive weapons and evolving tactical approaches. He had earlier reiterated similar concerns in March, emphasising the strategic importance of drone warfare and counter-drone capabilities.

The Agniveg is designed to strike high-value targets deep within enemy territory. Its turbojet propulsion system provides both extended range and high velocity. During user trials, the system demonstrated an operational range of 180 kilometres.

The emergence of loitering munitions such as Agniveg underscores a fundamental shift in modern combat, where cost efficiency, speed, and autonomous strike capability are increasingly redefining military power and strategic deterrence.