Iran’s low-cost Shahed drones inspired US’s LUCAS. What’s in India’s drone armoury?

In Iran’s war with the US and Israel, low-cost drones have given Tehran unprecedented leverage. Iran’s Shahed-136 drone has been the inspiration for indigenous models, costing between $20,000 and $50,000 per unit. In fact, the US’s Low-cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System, aka LUCAS drone, is based on the same design as Shahed. India, too, is ramping up its firepower capability with indigenous long-range strike drones. Before proving its mettle in the current war, Iran’s Shahed-136 drone made its mark in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, forcing Kyiv to spend millions in intercepting them. That Iran, a country without an effective air force,…