The recent Ukrainian drone strike, codenamed "Operation Spider's Web," on Russian military airbases deep within Siberia on June 1, 2025, serves as a wake-up call for nations worldwide, including India. This meticulously planned operation, which reportedly took over 18 months and involved smuggling 117 drones into Russia, resulted in the destruction of over 40 strategic aircraft and an estimated $7 billion in damages. This operation highlights the evolving nature of modern warfare and offers several critical lessons for India, particularly in the context of regional security challenges.
Here are five key lessons for India:
Embrace Asymmetric Warfare: Ukraine's successful use of cost-effective drones to inflict significant damage on a superior military force underscores the importance of asymmetric warfare. India faces conventional military disparities with some of its neighbors. Therefore, exploring and adopting similar tactics can help counterbalance these differences. This involves investing in technologies and strategies that exploit vulnerabilities and create disproportionate impacts, such as the use of drones, cyber warfare, and electronic warfare.
Prioritize Indigenous Drone Technology: Operation Spider's Web highlights the strategic advantage of developing homegrown drone capabilities. India's 'Make in India' initiative should prioritize the design, development, and production of advanced drones tailored to its unique defense needs. This includes investing in research and development, fostering collaboration between academia, industry, and defense organizations, and creating a supportive ecosystem for drone manufacturing. Col Devesh Singh (retd), an expert on ammunition, explosives, and UAVs, noted that India is already preparing for future conflicts with FPV drones, counter drones, and air defense innovations.
Bolster Counter-Drone Systems: The operation exposed vulnerabilities in traditional air defense systems against drone swarms. India needs to prioritize the development and deployment of robust counter-drone technologies to protect critical infrastructure and military assets. This includes investing in advanced radar systems, electronic warfare capabilities, and kinetic and non-kinetic methods for neutralizing drones. Given the increasing use of drones for smuggling narcotics, arms, and ammunition, strengthening counter-drone capabilities is crucial for internal security as well.
Strengthen Intelligence and Surveillance: The success of Operation Spider's Web hinged on meticulous planning and execution, emphasizing the critical role of superior intelligence. India must bolster its intelligence capabilities to proactively detect and neutralize potential threats. This involves investing in advanced surveillance technologies, enhancing human intelligence networks, and improving data analysis capabilities. Intelligence gathering should extend beyond borders to monitor the development and proliferation of drone technology in neighboring countries.
Balance Secrecy and Strategic Partnerships: Ukraine's operation was conducted with a high degree of operational security, emphasizing the importance of secrecy in such ventures. However, India should also balance this with international collaboration to enhance its defense capabilities. While maintaining confidentiality about sensitive operations is crucial, sharing information and expertise with trusted partners can provide access to advanced technologies and strategic insights.
In conclusion, Ukraine's Operation Spider's Web serves as a valuable case study for India, highlighting the importance of adapting to the changing landscape of modern warfare. By embracing asymmetric warfare tactics, investing in indigenous drone technology, strengthening counter-drone systems, bolstering intelligence capabilities, and balancing secrecy with strategic partnerships, India can enhance its defense preparedness and effectively address emerging security challenges. The conflict has also highlighted that India needs to be self-dependent to fulfill the military needs of its armed forces. India's overwhelming dependence on any country for military hardware has to be reduced.
