The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has awarded contracts worth ₹155 crore for the Indrajaal Ranger Mobile Anti-Drone Patrol Vehicle, developed by the Indrajaal-Sigma consortium. The vehicle is designed to detect, track, identify and counter unauthorised drones while moving, extending protection from fixed installations to border routes, urban areas and high-security movements. It is the only mobile Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System (C-UAS) platform in India approved by the Anti-Rogue Drone Technology Committee (ARDTC).
What the Ministry of Home Affairs Ordered
The reported procurement has two operational components. The Indrajaal-Sigma consortium received a ₹145 crore order for border-security deployment, while a separate order of about ₹10 crore from an urban police force covers VVIP protection and urban security. Together, the orders take the total value to approximately ₹155 crore.
The deployment is meant to cover situations in which a fixed counter-drone installation cannot follow the threat. These include vulnerable border stretches, moving convoys, VVIP routes, public gatherings, airports and other critical infrastructure. The vehicle is based on the Toyota Hilux platform and is planned for manufacture at Indrajaal facilities in Hyderabad.
The procurement also reflects the wider role of the Ministry of Home Affairs in internal security and border management. The Border Security Force (BSF), established on 1 December 1965, guards India’s international borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh during peacetime and supports internal-security operations. A mobile system can add a flexible layer to the BSF’s existing patrols, observation posts, surveillance equipment and command centres.
How the Indrajaal Ranger Works
The Ranger uses Indrajaal’s SkyOS as its central software layer. SkyOS brings together sensor inputs, artificial intelligence, sensor fusion and command-and-control tools. Sensor fusion means combining information from different sensors to create a clearer and more reliable picture of an airborne object than any single sensor could provide.
The system follows the main stages of a counter-drone response. It first detects an aerial object, tracks its movement, identifies whether it is authorised or hostile, and then selects a suitable response. The platform is intended to perform these functions while the vehicle is moving, which is the key difference between the Ranger and a conventional fixed-site system.
Three Layers of Countermeasures
The Ranger’s reported countermeasures combine electronic, cyber and physical methods. Their roles can be summarised as follows:
| Layer | Function |
|---|---|
| Retractor | Attempts to take control of a rogue drone so that it can be recovered in a controlled manner and examined for forensic information. |
| Lakshman Rekha | Creates a virtual protective boundary around a secured area and helps prevent unauthorised drones from entering it. |
| Net Interceptor | Physically captures a hostile drone when electronic countermeasures are unsuitable or unsuccessful. |
The wider platform also uses technologies such as radio-frequency jamming and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) spoofing. Jamming disrupts the radio links used by a drone, while spoofing sends false navigation signals to influence its understanding of location. These are known as soft-kill measures because they seek to disable or divert the drone without physically destroying it. A net-based capture is a hard-kill or physical-interception option, although it is designed to preserve the aircraft for examination rather than simply destroy it.
Why Mobile Counter-Drone Protection Matters
Small unmanned aircraft can carry out surveillance, deliver weapons or narcotics, and reach locations that are difficult for ground patrols to monitor continuously. Along India’s western border, official data has recorded drones being used to move arms and narcotics across the international boundary. The Ministry of Home Affairs has also established drone-forensic facilities so that recovered platforms can reveal their flight paths, launch points and other clues.
Border terrain creates a practical challenge for any detection network. Rivers, marshes, forests, unfenced gaps, settlements near the zero line, fog and poor road connectivity can restrict visibility and delay the movement of response teams. A vehicle-mounted C-UAS system can patrol changing threat areas, reinforce temporary high-security zones and accompany convoys instead of protecting only one permanent site.
The same mobility matters in cities. Public events, airports, VVIP movements and critical infrastructure may require short-term protection of low-altitude airspace. The separate urban-police order indicates that counter-drone security is being treated as a homeland-security requirement, not only as a battlefield capability.
ARDTC Approval and Indigenous Security Technology
The Anti-Rogue Drone Technology Committee (ARDTC) is a technical evaluation body established by the Ministry of Home Affairs under the supervision of the Director General of the Border Security Force. Its role is to assess technologies used against rogue drones and certify their effectiveness. The Ranger’s approval therefore distinguishes it from a concept or laboratory demonstration and indicates that it has passed the relevant government evaluation process reported for the platform.
The project brings together Hyderabad-based Indrajaal Autonomous Defense Systems and Sigma Advanced Systems. It also illustrates the growing role of Indian private companies in developing specialised security equipment for government use. Domestic design and manufacture can help agencies adapt systems to India’s border conditions, retain technical knowledge within the country and support faster upgrades as drone tactics change.
The platform will not replace every layer of air and border defence. Detection quality can be affected by terrain, weather, low-flying objects and crowded radio-frequency environments. Effective use will depend on trained operators, clear rules for electronic interference, coordination with the BSF and local police, and forensic analysis of captured drones. Its value lies in adding a mobile, integrated response layer to the wider surveillance and border-management network.
Key Takeaways
- The Ministry of Home Affairs awarded contracts worth approximately ₹155 crore for the Indrajaal Ranger mobile anti-drone platform.
- The Indrajaal-Sigma consortium received a reported ₹145 crore border-security order, while a separate order of about ₹10 crore covers urban police and VVIP-security requirements.
- The Indrajaal Ranger is described as India’s only mobile Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System (C-UAS) platform approved by the Anti-Rogue Drone Technology Committee (ARDTC).
- The Ranger uses SkyOS to combine sensors, artificial intelligence, sensor fusion and command-and-control functions while the vehicle is moving.
- The platform’s reported countermeasure layers are Retractor, Lakshman Rekha and Net Interceptor, supporting drone takeover, protective airspace control and physical capture.
- The Border Security Force, established on 1 December 1965, operates under the Ministry of Home Affairs and is responsible for guarding India’s borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh during peacetime.
