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OPINION NOVEMBER 20, 2026 | The Indian Eye 11

dia, which may have provided insights direction. Exercise Vayu Saman-
into emerging operational require- vay-II in October 2025 tested drone
ments. Against this backdrop, Kara- and counter-drone capabilities in
koram 2026 could offer China and an electronically contested environ-
Pakistan an opportunity to exchange ment. Exercise Akhand Prahar in
battlefield lessons and explore their November 2025 meanwhile demon-
application through joint training strated combined-arms manoeuvres
and operational coordination. integrating unmanned systems and
Their deployment reflects the electronic warfare.
PLA’s growing interest in integrating Similarly, the successful testing
ground-based robotic systems into of Akash Prime against aerial tar-
infantry operations. In 2025, China gets in Ladakh in July 2025 marked
hosted the inaugural World Human- progress in high-altitude air defence.
oid Robot Games, which attracted More recently, procurement ap-
participants from 16 countries, in- provals for counter-UAS platforms,
cluding Pakistan. The second edi- surveillance drones and integrated
tion, held in September 2026, report- surveillance-and-strike systems in
edly showcased significant advances Source: “China–Pakistan ‘Karakoram-2026’ Joint Army Training: Enhancing Joint Counterter- October 2026 reflected India’s ef-
in robotic mobility, including human- forts to adapt to emerging battlefield
oid robots capable of completing a rorism Capabilities”, CCTV News, 21 October 2026. requirements. However, these devel-
100-metre sprint faster than Usain opments must be translated into sus-
Bolt’s world-record time. These modifications were intend- itary training. In September 2026, tained operational preparedness.
Significantly, following the ed to provide additional protection China also established specialised Second, building on these initia-
event, the PLA’s official newspaper, against drone attacks. Chinese mili- military education institutions fo- tives, Indian military exercises should
PLA Daily, called for accelerating tary analyst Song Zhongping linked cused on unmanned and intelligent place greater emphasis on testing re-
the transfer of cutting-edge robotic the modifications to lessons from the systems, reflecting its efforts to insti- connaissance-to-strike coordination
technologies from research labora- Russia–Ukraine war and conflicts in tutionalise emerging technological under degraded communications,
tories to military training grounds to West Asia, where relatively inexpen- capabilities and incorporate them electronic interference and simulat-
facilitate the development of robotic sive drones have exposed vulnerabili- into military doctrine, training and ed equipment losses. Such training
“combatants”. According to BofA ties in armoured vehicles. operational practices. Repeated ex- would help assess formations’ ability
Global Research, Chinese manufac- Nevertheless, cages offer limit- posure to these practices is partic- to maintain operational effectiveness
turers accounted for approximately ed protection against certain types ularly relevant to the Pakistan mil- in increasingly contested battlefield
95 per cent of global humanoid ro- of attacks and cannot substitute for itary’s visible efforts to improve kill environments.
bot shipments in 2025. These devel- layered counter-drone defences. For chain capabilities. Third, India must continue to
opments indicate China’s expanding Pakistan, exposure to these modi- Karakoram also featured groups closely monitor Pakistan’s evolving
technological capabilities and grow- fications could influence future ar- of attack drones engaging simulat- procurement patterns, doctrinal de-
ing interest in the military applica- moured vehicle protection measures, ed targets before infantry advances. velopments and military training
tions of robotics. Beyond reconnais- particularly as drones become in- Chinese reporting described these practices. These indicators would
sance, such systems could eventually creasingly prominent along contest- coordinated attacks as drone-swarm provide a more reliable assessment
support surveillance, logistics, casu- ed borders. operations. This development fits of China–Pakistan operational inte-
alty evacuation and other high-risk The third notable feature of China’s broader investment in gration than any single exercise. In-
battlefield tasks. Karakoram 2026 was the coordi- massed unmanned operations. In dian defence think tanks can play an
For Pakistan, the immediate nated employment of drones, re- March 2026, China’s Ministry of Na- important role in systematically an-
advantage lies in gaining exposure connaissance vehicles, snipers and tional Defense publicised the Atlas alysing these developments. Closer
to Chinese robotic systems and un- armoured formations. According to drone-swarm operations system de- collaboration among think tanks, the
derstanding their tactical employ- Chinese military reporting, aerial veloped by China Electronics Tech- armed forces and defence research
ment in operational environments. and ground-based sensors identified nology Group. Its Swarm-2 launch organisations could facilitate scenar-
At the same time, Pakistan’s experi- simulated enemy positions, following vehicle can deploy 48 fixed-wing io-based assessments, red-teaming
ence in counterterrorism operations which snipers and other strike as- drones, while a command vehicle exercises and evidence-based policy
could provide valuable operational sets engaged designated targets. Ar- can reportedly control up to 96. The recommendations.
feedback to Chinese personnel, par- moured vehicles subsequently trans- system illustrates China’s efforts to
ticularly on deploying unmanned ported infantry personnel to conduct integrate reconnaissance, electronic Namita Barthwal is a Research Analyst
ground systems in complex terrain clearance operations. This sequence warfare and strike functions through at the Military Affairs Centre of the
and built-up areas. Notably, in Oc- reflects the growing emphasis on in- coordinated unmanned platforms. Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence
tober 2025, Pakistani media reports tegrating reconnaissance, targeting Karakoram 2026 points to a grad- Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA),
referred to the alleged deployment and strike capabilities to compress ual expansion of China–Pakistan Army where her research focuses on Chi-
of Chinese-origin ‘Robo-Wolf’ sys- the kill chain. It also aligns with Chi- cooperation, particularly in unmanned na-Pakistan military cooperation
tems in counterterrorism operations, na’s broader approach to the intelli- operations, battlefield surveillance, Views expressed are of the author and
purportedly aimed at reducing direct gentisation of warfare, which empha- and combined-arms coordination. do not necessarily reflect the views of
human involvement in high-risk en- sises integrating unmanned systems, For India, three priorities emerge. the Manohar Parrikar IDSA or of the
gagements. However, these claims advanced sensors, and networked First, the Indian Army must Government of India.
remain unverified, with no official command structures into battlefield strengthen its ability to operate un-
confirmation regarding the deploy- operations. Through joint exercises der persistent drone surveillance. The full version of this article
ment, operational capabilities or ex- such as Karakoram 2026, China is Concealment, dispersal, electronic first appeared in the Comments section
tent of their use by the Pakistan Army. exposing Pakistan to these evolving warfare and counter-drone protec- of the website (www.idsa.in) of Mano-
The Type 08 IFVs participating operational concepts and practices. tion should become integral com- har Parrikar Institute for Defense
in Karakoram carried protective roof The PLA has increasingly em- ponents of tactical training. India Studies and Analyses, New Delhi, on
cages and side grilles (see Image 2). phasised such integration in its mil- has already made progress in this November 7, 2026

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