As part of its post Operation Sindoor transformation, the Indian Army has decided to set up specialised battalions to operate long-range drones for surveillance and attack. Called the ‘Baaz’ – a hawk — these battalions would be placed under the Army Aviation Corps and be tasked for different purposes than the ‘Ashini drone platoons’ which are part of the infantry battalions and are for tactical ‘immediate-vicinity’ surveillance. Also these ‘Baaz’ battalions will be different from the ‘Divyastra batteries’ of the Artillery regiment which carry and deploy the loitering ammunition, or called ‘one-way’ drones.Baaz battalions will centralise growing drone and capabilities and are designed to handle the entire lifecycle of operations, including deployment, maintenance, data exploitation and seamless integration with ground forces.These battalions will house a specialist pool of personnel specifically trained to manage the drone ecosystem. This move aims to ensure a sustained operational tempo and a more persistent ‘intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance’ (ISR) capability across the battlefield.Sources said that no numbers can be given on how many ‘Baaz’ battalions would be set up, but added that the specialised Aviation Brigades has been set up in the past few years and Army Aviation Corps flies helicopters – including attack versions – along the front line.The initiative was announced in outgoing Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi and aligns with the “Decade of Transformation.” It will provide frontline units of the Army with advanced aerial surveillance and situational awareness tools.Sources said the decision has been spurred by lessons from recent border standoffs along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China and the tactical outcomes validated during Operation Sindoor against Pakistan in May last year.Sources said the ‘Baaz’ – meaning Hawk – would operate platforms like the long range UAV like the MQ9B being sourced from the US company General Atomics; the Heron and the Hermes from Israel; the locally produced UAV by companies like, Idea Forge, SMPP and NewSpace Research.  This will enable deep-penetration surveillance, targeting, and prolonged border monitoring. The ‘Baaz’ battalions would act as the centralized ‘brain’ to standardise training, manage the high-density technical data streaming from these mixed fleets, and rapidly handle the software updates or replenishment cycles required in high-intensity drone warfare.