Have India and Pakistan Entered a New Era of Drone Warfare?

Tensions between India and Pakistan, two nuclear-armed neighbors with a long history of military confrontations, have escalated dramatically in early May 2025. The latest flashpoint: a series of drone and missile strikes exchanged across their heavily militarized border. The question now being asked by analysts and observers alike: Have India and Pakistan entered a new era of drone warfare?

The immediate catalyst for the current crisis was a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir in late April, which India blamed on Pakistan-based militants-a charge Islamabad denies. In retaliation, India launched missile and drone strikes targeting what it called “terrorist infrastructure” in Pakistan, including major cities like Lahore and Karachi. Pakistan responded by claiming to have intercepted and shot down between 25 and 29 Indian drones, most of them Israeli-made Harop loitering munitions.

Pakistan’s military described these drone incursions as “blatant aggression” and a serious provocation, reporting one civilian fatality and several injuries among its soldiers as a result of the strikes. India, for its part, accused Pakistan of attempting to target Indian military installations with its own drones and missiles, all of which it claims to have neutralized.

Both sides have issued statements and counter-statements, each blaming the other for escalating the situation:

Pakistan says Indian drones targeted civilian and military sites, and that its air defenses successfully intercepted most of them, with debris being collected as “war trophies”. Pakistani officials have vowed to retaliate at a time and place of their choosing, while also expressing a desire to avoid further escalation.

India  maintains its strikes were limited to “terrorist infrastructure” and military targets, and that any further Pakistani response would be seen as an escalation. Indian officials also report intercepting Pakistani drones and missiles aimed at Indian cities and military sites.

The violence has not been limited to military targets. Civilian casualties have been reported on both sides, with at least 31 deaths in Pakistan and 16 in India attributed to the strikes and subsequent artillery exchanges. The fighting has triggered mass evacuations in border areas, school and airport closures, and widespread fear of a broader conflict.

This latest round of hostilities marks one of the most significant uses of drones in South Asian conflict to date. Both countries have previously employed drones for surveillance and limited cross-border strikes, but the scale and intensity of the current exchanges-dozens of drones used in rapid succession, targeting major urban centers-represent a new threshold.

 “It seems India has lost its way and is further escalating tensions in a volatile environment, rather than adopting a rational approach. The Pakistan Armed Forces are on high alert for any threats.”

– Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry, Pakistani Army spokesperson

Both governments have signaled a desire to avoid full-scale war, but have also left open the possibility of further military action. The use of drones-relatively low-cost, deniable, and capable of striking deep into enemy territory-may lower the threshold for conflict, making escalation more likely even as leaders talk of restraint.

The international community is watching closely, aware that even limited drone warfare between India and Pakistan poses grave risks for regional and global security.

 India and Pakistan have not declared an all-out “drone war,” but the recent surge in drone strikes and counter-strikes marks a dangerous new phase in their rivalry. The situation remains volatile, with both sides demonstrating new capabilities and a willingness to use them, raising the stakes for future confrontations.