India’s Preparedness Against Technological Adaptations of Terrorism

Emerging technologies are redefining terrorism, which is moving away from traditional manpower-intensive forms of violence to a new hybrid form that incorporates digital technology, cyber warfare and drones. This article focuses on exploring India’s adaptability to the evolving dimensions of terrorism in relation to technological advancements in the field and international laws that govern the use of drones by terrorists. The main case studies are based on an analysis of the attack at the Air Force Station in Jammu in January 2021 involving drones, and the palpable increase in the smuggling of such drones through the Punjab border between 2020 and 2024.

Situating these developments within broader global trends of technology-driven terrorism, the article assesses India’s institutional, regulatory and operational preparedness across counter-UAS frameworks, cyber governance structures, inter-agency coordination, and public–private security integration Arguing against the grain of reactive, incident-driven responses towards an anticipatory, technology-driven architecture in counter-terrorism, the article concludes by emphasising that in the longer term, India’s security resilience will depend on integrated policy reform, technological innovation and cohesive institutional coordination.