The Indian Army has inducted a new high-speed unmanned aerial vehicle, the Berkut‑BM, procured from Belarus, signalling a notable shift in its approach to deep-strike and offensive unmanned operations. The acquisition reflects a growing emphasis on fast, expendable platforms designed not merely to observe the battlefield, but to shape it decisively in the opening phases of a conflict.
Defence sources say the Berkut‑BM, associated with Belarus’s Mirotvorets (Peacemaker) development line, is being positioned as a precision strike asset rather than a traditional reconnaissance drone. Its induction underscores the Army’s evolving doctrine, which increasingly prioritises the ability to penetrate hostile airspace, suppress enemy defences, and neutralise high-value targets without exposing pilots or frontline troops to undue risk.
Unlike surveillance-oriented UAVs that dominate many current inventories, the Berkut‑BM has been designed from the outset for offensive missions. Its primary role is expected to be the suppression of enemy air defences (SEAD), a critical task in modern, high-intensity warfare. Military planners view such capabilities as essential for degrading surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems, artillery concentrations, multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS), and command-and-control nodes before they can be brought to bear effectively.
In recent conflicts around the world, the opening hours of combat have increasingly been defined by the contest between air defences and precision strike systems. The Indian Army’s interest in the Berkut‑BM reflects lessons drawn from these engagements, where speed, surprise, and saturation have often proved decisive. By deploying a platform capable of rapid ingress and strike, commanders gain a tool to disrupt enemy planning cycles and impose immediate operational costs.
Technically, the Berkut‑BM distinguishes itself from the propeller-driven loitering munitions that have proliferated across modern battlefields. The drone is powered by a compact turbojet engine mounted between twin tail booms, enabling dash speeds of up to 500 kilometres per hour. This velocity sharply compresses the reaction time available to enemy air defence operators, making detection, tracking, and interception significantly more challenging.
The platform offers a practical operational range of around 180 kilometres and an endurance of approximately 45 minutes, depending on altitude and mission profile. While this endurance is modest compared to long-loiter surveillance drones, it is well suited to the Berkut‑BM’s intended role as a rapid strike system. Its payload consists of a 10‑kilogram high-explosive fragmentation warhead, optimised for destroying radar installations, damaging lightly armoured vehicles, and inflicting casualties on exposed personnel.
Operational flexibility is another key feature. The Berkut‑BM is catapult-launched, eliminating the requirement for runways or established airfields. This allows deployment from concealed forward locations or mobile launch platforms, increasing survivability and complicating enemy countermeasures. Such mobility also aligns with the Indian Army’s emphasis on dispersed operations, particularly in contested environments where fixed infrastructure may be vulnerable.
An interesting aspect of the Berkut‑BM is its design heritage. The airframe traces its origins to high-speed aerial targets originally developed for air defence training. This lineage has been deliberately exploited to create a strike weapon that is compact, agile, and difficult to engage. Systems designed to simulate fast-moving threats for training purposes are, by nature, optimised to challenge radar tracking and interceptor performance—qualities that translate effectively into combat roles.
Defence analysts note that the Berkut‑BM fills a niche between slower, relatively inexpensive loitering munitions and larger, more costly combat UAVs. While it may not offer the endurance or sensor sophistication of bigger platforms, its speed and lower unit cost make it well suited for saturation attacks. In such scenarios, multiple drones can be launched simultaneously to overwhelm air defences, forcing the enemy to expend valuable interceptors or reveal radar positions.
The procurement also fits into a broader trend within the Indian armed forces to diversify and layer their unmanned capabilities. Recent initiatives have focused on integrating everything from small tactical quadcopters for infantry units to long-range UAVs capable of persistent surveillance and strike. This layered ecosystem is intended to provide commanders with a continuous picture of the battlefield and multiple options for engaging targets across varying ranges and threat levels.
Modernisation efforts have accelerated as the Army reviews operational concepts in light of recent global conflicts, where unmanned systems have played an outsized role relative to their cost. The emphasis is increasingly on rapid adaptability, redundancy, and the ability to impose dilemmas on adversaries through a mix of sensors and shooters.
The Berkut‑BM, the Indian Army appears to be signalling its intent to move beyond a predominantly defensive or surveillance-oriented use of drones. Instead, it is embracing unmanned systems as integral components of offensive operations, capable of shaping the battlefield from the outset. As unmanned warfare continues to evolve, platforms like the Berkut‑BM are likely to play a growing role in how future conflicts are planned and fought.
