Dron-o-war 1.0 was held at the Wish Town Campus Jaypee Institute of Information Technology (JIIT) in Noida Sector 128 from May 2 to 3, 2026.
The two-day national event, which began on March 2 (Saturday), highlighted innovation in drone technology in the country. Lt. Gen. Anil Chandra Chet (Retd) was the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony of the event, with many other dignitaries and eminent persons present.
Dr. Sarat Kumar Dash and Dr. Nishank K. also attended the opening ceremony. Srivastava of the Indian Space Research Organization and Dr. Bhupendra Singh of the Defense Research and Development Organisation, along with senior scientists from BARC.
According to a press release, the event was intended to serve as a “motivator.” for innovation and skills development” in an era where “unmanned aerial systems are transforming defence, logistics, surveillance and disaster management.”
The event was conducted under the supervision of Rector Prof. S.C. Saxena, along with other faculty members from JIIT Noida, including Professor Vikas Saxena, Professor Shikha Mehta and Dr. Vinay Tekwal.
Participation of 100 teams, valuable prizes $20 thousand
The event witnessed the participation of more than 100 teams from various institutes, universities and schools across the country, according to the press release.
Dron-o-war also received valuable prizes $20,000, along with a range of events, including FPV racing championships, autonomous drone missions, payload delivery challenges, panel discussions, design and innovation competitions, and simulation-based competitions.
The university said the event provided a platform for “students, researchers and industry experts to exchange ideas and explore the evolving landscape of drone technology.” “This event represents an important step towards fostering innovation, enhancing technical competencies and promoting the vision of a technologically empowered and self-reliant India,” he added. The event was also supported by industry partners, including PDRL, RevUp, hoverRobotix, MentorX and FORE FIDTR, creating a synergy between academia and advances in drone technology.
Panel discussions on the technical aspects of drone technology and its ecosystem were part of the two-day event. For example, the first session was titled “Empowering Vixit Bharat: Role of Higher Education Institutions in Drone Technology Development and Skilled Manpower Development”. And I focused on Modernize curricula, integrate interdisciplinary research, and develop industry-aligned skills frameworks to support emerging drone technologies.
Another discussion session on ““Innovations, challenges and the future of drone technology,” and included discussions about Advances in autonomous systems, AI-enabled navigation, real-time data processing, regulatory compliance, and scalability challenges in drone deployment.
