New Delhi: Primus Partners, through its research and policy advisory arm Primus Research, has released a new thought leadership report titled “Fuelling Frontline Fury: Building Resilient War Reserves and Distributed Supply Chains to Future-Proof India’s Air Defence”, examining India’s preparedness for the rapidly evolving era of drone-centric warfare.

The report argues that while India has made significant progress in developing indigenous drone capabilities, strengthening procurement, and fostering a vibrant defence technology ecosystem, the country’s long-term operational readiness will ultimately depend on its ability to sustain drone operations during prolonged conflict scenarios.

Drawing lessons from recent conflicts across Ukraine, West Asia and other theatres of modern warfare, the report highlights that technological superiority alone is no longer sufficient to ensure battlefield success. Instead, industrial depth, resilient supply chains, distributed production networks, repair infrastructure, replenishment capability, and strategic war reserves are emerging as decisive factors in determining military endurance and operational effectiveness.

The study notes that India has made notable strides through initiatives such as Mission Drone Shakti and Mission Sudarshan Chakra, alongside increasing investments in unmanned systems, counter-drone technologies, and indigenous defence innovation. However, it cautions that the next phase of preparedness must focus on strengthening logistics architecture, terrain-specific maintenance ecosystems, decentralised manufacturing, and integrated command structures capable of operating under sustained pressure.

The report further outlines five key structural reforms for India’s defence ecosystem, including the establishment of distributed drone production hubs, creation of terrain-specific maintenance and logistics centres, strengthening of strategic war reserves, development of a unified unmanned operations framework, and accelerated investments in resilient defence supply chains.

Commenting on the findings, Davinder Sandhu, Co-Founder & Chairperson, Primus Partners, said: “The future of warfare will not be determined solely by who possesses the most advanced drone technology, but by who can sustain, replenish, repair and deploy those systems consistently during prolonged periods of conflict. India has made remarkable progress in building indigenous capabilities and fostering innovation. The next strategic imperative is to strengthen the logistical and industrial foundations that underpin operational resilience. As drone warfare becomes central to modern defence strategy, the nation must focus equally on war reserves, distributed manufacturing, maintenance infrastructure and supply chain security to ensure preparedness for the challenges of tomorrow.”

The report emphasises that India’s unique geographical diversity, ranging from high-altitude regions and dense forests to desert terrain and an extensive coastline, necessitates a decentralised and terrain-responsive approach to drone sustainment and deployment. It calls for coordinated action between policymakers, defence planners, industry stakeholders and technology innovators to build a future-ready ecosystem capable of supporting high-tempo operations across multiple theatres.

Through this report, Primus Partners aims to contribute to the national discourse on defence preparedness and encourage greater focus on operational endurance, industrial resilience and long-term strategic readiness in an increasingly contested security environment.