Defence Ministry Clears In-Principle Plan for ₹500-Crore Military Drone Hub at IIT Kanpur.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has granted in-principle approval for a ₹500 crore National Military Drone Technology Hub at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, aimed at strengthening India’s capabilities in advanced unmanned systems.

The proposed hub will provide a full-stack capability covering design, testing and certification of military payloads, data links, ground stations and counter-drone systems.

According to officials, the proposal was drafted by the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA), the nodal agency for the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor (UP DIC), and submitted by the state government to the MoD on May 29, 2026, seeking early approval and designation of IIT Kanpur’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) as the National Military Drone Technology Hub.

The initiative follows directions from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who reviewed the project’s progress on April 10 this year to strengthen IIT Kanpur’s role in defence technology development. The institute was earlier designated as a Centre of Excellence with a total outlay of ₹20.3 crore, of which ₹15.3 crore was funded by the state government, officials said.

A senior state government official said the hub would position the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor as a global benchmark in unmanned systems and provide a technological edge to India’s armed forces.

The IIT Kanpur CoE is already operational as an integrated facility for research and development, testing, training and startup incubation in drone technologies.