'This is gold for us': How Pakistan drone debris could help India decode Chinese, Turkish tech

India's recent interceptions of Pakistani drones may offer more than immediate tactical victories. According to foreign affairs expert Robinder Sachdev, the debris recovered from Turkish and Chinese-origin UAVs could prove valuable for understanding enemy technology — and potentially aid future defence preparedness.

"These are war treasures," Sachdev said in Delhi, referring to the wreckage of drones and missiles recovered after Pakistan's large-scale drone assault along India's western borders. "Once we get these wreckages or pieces that we recover, we can reverse engineer and very well understand the Chinese technology which goes into the weapons that the Pakistanis had used...This is gold for us."

While the Indian military has not indicated - and it is too early to say - any official plan to reverse engineer the materials, Sachdev's comments highlight a growing strategic opportunity in assessing adversarial tech components captured during the conflict.

Between May 8 and 9, Pakistan launched approximately 300 to 400 drones across 36 intrusion points from Leh to Sir Creek. These included swarm drones, Turkish-built Songar UAVs, and Chinese-origin kamikaze drones such as the Byker YIHA III. 

The drones carried high-explosive payloads and attempted to strike key zones such as Bathinda and Amritsar. However, India's air defence systems — including quick-reaction guns, radars, and command networks — neutralised the threats within seconds, preventing casualties or damage to property.

A military source added, "Initial analysis indicates that the drones carried high-explosive payloads intended to inflict maximum damage on innocent civilians."

Officials have said forensic analysis is underway to study the components of the drones, particularly Turkish and Chinese parts. This is the first time such aerial assets have been deployed on this scale in an India-Pakistan conflict, drawing comparisons with drone warfare seen in Ukraine and the Caucasus region.

During a briefing, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh said that the Indian Armed Forces brought down a number of these drones using kinetic and non-kinetic means. "The possible purpose of these large-scale aerial intrusions were to test the AD (air defence) systems and gather intelligence,” she said on May 9.

Forensic examination of the drone debris is being undertaken, military officials said. "Preliminary reports suggest them to be of the ASISGUARD Songar drone of Turkey. Later in the night, an armed UAV of Pakistan attempted to target Bathinda military station, which was detected and neutralised," Wing Commander Singh had said.

India's integrated air defence grid — comprising ground-based radars, electro-optical sensors, quick-reaction surface-to-air guns, and automated command systems — thwarted Pakistan's attempted drone and missile strikes.