Indian Army Raises Its First 'Baaz Battalion' Drone Unit in Punjab

25 August 2026NationalPunjab

The Indian Army raised its first 'Baaz Battalion' in Punjab under the Vajra Corps (11 Corps) in August 2026 - a dedicated unit equipped with advanced drones for aerial surveillance, target acquisition and battlefield support. The raising signals a shift from ad-hoc UAV detachments to permanent, establishment-level drone formations, in line with the Army's renewed emphasis on unmanned and counter-unmanned systems along the western front. It was announced alongside the Territorial Army's Terrier Cyber Quest 2026 (TCQ 3.0) hackathon with CyberPeace, and sits in the same indigenisation arc as DRDO's fresh technology transfers to Indian defence firms. Vajra Corps is headquartered at Jalandhar.

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The Indian Army's Western Command is headquartered at Chandimandir, Haryana | The Chief of the Army Staff is the head of the Indian Army; Army Day is observed on 15 January | Vajra Corps (11 Corps) is based at Jalandhar, Punjab

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