How India is Re-Engineering a WWII Japanese Tactic with ‘Agniveg’ to Face the New Era of Iranian-Style Drone Warfare

The Indian Army's recent induction of 106 Agniveg turbojet-powered kamikaze drones, coupled with the Indian Air Force's push toward indigenous manufacturing, has firmly turned the spotlight on loitering munitions. These relatively inexpensive, highly precise unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have fundamentally redefined the rules of engagement on the modern battlefield.

What Are Kamikaze Drones?

The term "kamikaze" dates back to World War II, when Japanese pilots flew suicide missions directly into Allied warships. More than 80 years later, the moniker describes a cutting-edge class of unmanned drones or loitering munitions designed to search for a target, home in on it, and destroy it by crashing directly into the asset.

According to India’s Department of Defence Production, these loitering munitions offer two primary tactical advantages:

• Rapid Response: They can strike quickly without requiring high-value military assets to be stationed in an area beforehand.
• Cost Efficiency & Flexibility: Because they are rudimentary and significantly cheaper than traditional missiles, combat losses are easier for a military to absorb.

Furthermore, these systems provide immense operational flexibility. Operators can pre-program the drones to hit specific targets, but they also retain the ability to adjust or entirely abort the strike mid-flight.

When launched in massive swarms, they can easily overwhelm an enemy's air defense infrastructure. The Indian Council of World Affairs notes that “powerful nations are adapting to low-cost innovations, such as drones, loitering munitions and electronic warfare systems.” This global shift is driven entirely by economic and cost-benefit considerations.

The Cost Asymmetry: Iran's Shahed vs. US's LUCAS

Defense analysts point out that the Iran-designed Shahed-136 was central to Tehran’s offensive against American military installations across West Asia following US and Israeli military operations in late February. According to the Reuters news agency, a single Shahed-136 costs roughly $20,000 to manufacture.

The true impact of this technology lies in the financial asymmetry of countering it. An analysis published in March by the US think-tank, the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), revealed that the Patriot defense system missiles used by the US to intercept these cheap Iranian drones cost a staggering $4 million per unit.

Washington recognized this economic imbalance well before the West Asia escalations. In 2025, the US initiated the development of its own counterpart to counter the Shahed-class weapons, partnering with Arizona-based Spekteworks. Within just eight months of its Pentagon unveiling, the Low-Cost Unmanned Combat Attack System, or LUCAS, was deployed to West Asia. Built at an approximate cost of $35,000 per unit, Reuters reports that the system was quickly pressed into active duty.

Evolution on the Battlefield: Pre-West Asia Deployment

The Shahed’s track record in active combat actually predates the recent West Asia hostilities. The Wall Street Journal reported in June 2025 that Russia had already deployed Shahed drones on a massive scale, routinely launching waves of them simultaneously to saturate enemy positions. Ukraine, which has faced Russian forces since 2022, adapted by rapidly scaling up its own domestic drone manufacturing. The Associated Press reported that Kyiv developed low-cost interceptor drones specifically designed to hunt down and destroy the incoming Shaheds.

A CFR analysis published last week detailed how Kyiv has continually adjusted its defensive strategies against Russian drones and electronic jamming. Beyond relying on conventional air defenses, Ukraine's air force now deploys fiber-optic cables to guide its own one-way attack systems to completely bypass electronic jamming. Additionally, they have strung up specialized nets to physically ensnare incoming drones before they can hit vital supply routes.

The tactical lessons learned on these battlefields have become invaluable. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated in March that the US Pentagon had actively approached Kyiv for assistance in analyzing and countering Iranian drone technology.

India’s Answer: What We Know About the Agniveg

India’s proactive response to the rise of loitering munitions in global conflicts is the Agniveg—officially designated as the Jet Based Peacekeeper, which is manufactured by the domestic defense firm SMPP. Last week, during an official event marking the delivery of 106 Agniveg drones to the Indian Army, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh emphasized the shifting paradigm of combat. Singh observed that in modern warfare, “even small powers can cause heavy losses with their small but dangerous weapons and new tactics”. The defence minister had voiced similar concerns back in March, highlighting how critical drone and counter-drone capabilities have become to national strategy.

The Agniveg is engineered to strike high-value assets situated deep within enemy territory. Equipped with a powerful turbojet engine, it possesses both the speed and the range required for deep penetration missions, clocking an operational range of 180 kilometers during user trials.
 

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