Indian Army Displays Captured Turkish YIHA‑III Drone

The Indian Army publicly exhibited a reconstructed YIHA-III loitering munition. The drone recovered after being neutralized mid-flight with major components intact, was reassembled to demonstrate its compact design and technical features, serving as a symbol of effective counter-drone capabilities.The YIHA-III, jointly developed by Turkey's Baykar Technologies and Pakistan's National Aerospace Science and Technology Park, is a kamikaze drone adapted from UMTAS anti-tank missile technology. It features a tubular fuselage, fixed wings spanning about two meters, tricycle landing gear for runway or catapult launches, and a rear-mounted two-stroke gasoline engine.Capable of 100-200 kilometer ranges, it loiters for hours using electro-optical sensors to acquire targets before diving with a 5-10 kilogram high-explosive warhead. Designed for swarm attacks on high-value assets, it has appeared in conflicts including Syria and Ukraine.India's multi-layered defenses, featuring integrated radars, electronic jamming, and kinetic interceptors, have proven highly effective against such low-flying threats.