India's IG Defence has unveiled 'Project KAL', an indigenous long-range strike drone capable of carrying explosive payloads up to 1,000 km, aimed at boosting India's unmanned warfare capabilities. Project KAL is an indigenous initiative by IG Defence (founded in Odisha) to develop a long-range, one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for the Indian armed forces. The project aims to create a "kamikaze" style drone designed for deep-penetration missions into hostile territory, specifically targeting high-value assets like radar installations and logistics hubs.
Operational Range: Projected up to 1,000 km, allowing it to operate well beyond frontline areas.
Endurance: Approximately 3 to 5 hours, providing the ability to loiter over target zones for monitoring before striking.
Payload: Equipped to carry high-explosive payloads for precision strikes.
Strategic Comparison: It is frequently compared to the Iranian Shahed-class drones due to its emphasis on low-cost, long-range strike capabilities that can overwhelm enemy air defenses.
Strategic Significance
Project KAL is a key component of India's Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India) initiative in the defense sector. By developing these capabilities indigenously, India seeks to:
Reduce Reliance: Minimize dependence on foreign imports for advanced unmanned systems.
Cost Efficiency: Deploy inexpensive drones in large numbers to force adversaries into using significantly more expensive interceptor missiles, creating a tactical "cost imbalance".
Modern Warfare: Address a critical gap in India's arsenal for conducting standoff attacks with reduced risk to personnel.
In recent and ongoing conflicts, Iranian Shahed-class drones—particularly the Shahed-131 and Shahed-136—have become a central weapon for both Russia and Iran’s regional proxies to overwhelm advanced air defenses. Their primary role is that of a "loitering munition" or "kamikaze drone," designed to strike fixed targets at long ranges.
Russia has deployed Iranian-designed Shahed drones (rebranded as Geran-1 and Geran-2) on an industrial scale. In 2025 alone, Russia launched over 38,000 Shahed-type drones at Ukraine, with a record monthly peak of over 6,000 strikes in July 2025.They are often launched in massive "swarms" alongside cruise and ballistic missiles. This forces defenders to expend multi-million dollar interceptor missiles on drones costing as little as $20,000 to $80,000, effectively exhausting air defense stockpiles.
The Shahed-238 (Geran-3) and Geran-5 feature turbojet engines, allowing for higher speeds and making them harder to intercept than propeller models.
During Operation True Promise in April 2024 and the 12-Day War in June 2025, Iran launched over 1,000 drones directly from its territory at Israeli military and civilian targets.
Groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen continue to use the Shahed-101 and Shahed-136 against Israeli and merchant shipping targets.
Recognizing the effectiveness of the design, the United States reverse-engineered captured Shahed-136 drones to create its own version, the LUCAS (Low-cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System). As of December 2025, these "American Shaheds" have been deployed by U.S. Central Command for operations in the Middle East.
