Rudra's network, Shaktibaan's drone, Bhairav's shock: India's high-tech war plan

A few days back, the Indian Army’s new frontline groups – Rudra, Bhairav and Shaktibaan – were announced by Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi.
They are named after Hindu mythological figures.
But experts say this looks more like a continuation of earlier dropped plans rather than a new war strategy.

Beyond their Indian names, these new groups are basically a repackaged version of the old Integrated Battle Group (IBG) plan, first introduced in 2019 by former Army Chief General Bipin Rawat, who later became India’s first Chief of Defence Staff.

The Rudra (‘destruction’) brigades – two already created – combine infantry (foot soldiers), armour (tanks), artillery (big guns), engineers (technical support for bridges/mines), and signals units (communication teams).The main aim is to launch quick attacks into enemy areas.

They were announced by Gen. Dwivedi on Kargil Vijay Diwas (day marking victory in 1999 Kargil War) in Drass (battle site in Ladakh) on July 26.

According to official sources, each Rudra brigade will have about 3,000 soldiers and work as a self-sufficient unit, able to carry out intense, short wars on India’s northern and western disputed borders.

These Rudra formations were given names to show aggression and spiritual symbolism, mixing Hindu mythology with modern military purpose.

What has changed?

About 10 weeks after fighting with Pakistan stopped under Operation Sindoor, Gen. Dwivedi introduced the Bhairav (‘ferocious’) light commando battalions as shock-and-awe units (troops trained to strike suddenly and create fear in the enemy), likely meant for city battles and close-range fighting.

Also announced were Shaktibaan (‘divine power’) artillery groups (teams using big guns heavy weapons that fire over long distances and missiles), supported by Divyastra (‘precision’) surveillance UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), drone units, and loitering munitions (drones that circle and strike targets) to add high-tech firepower.

The Bhairav units are like bigger versions of Ghatak platoons.
A Ghatak platoon is a small team of 20–30 soldiers in an infantry battalion (large group of foot soldiers) that carries out special attacks, scouting missions (checking and gathering information about enemy areas), and secret operations inside enemy areas.

Beyond their fierce names, very little information is shared about the Bhairav formations, so their structure, purpose, and strategy remain unclear.

The proposed Shaktibaan brigades, with precision artillery (accurate heavy weapons) and ISR drones (for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance), were meant for quick cross-border attacks.They will also have cyber and electronic warfare units, which is new because earlier artillery (big guns and heavy weapons) and ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) were seen only as support elements.In Shaktibaan, these tools turn into the main weapons for fighting in a digital-first battlefield.

At the heart of Shaktibaan is the Divyastra unit, which mixes precision strikes and drone warfare using loitering munitions (drones that circle and hit targets), swarm drones, and real-time targeting.Divyastra is built for quick, disruptive attacks on enemy targets like air defences and supply hubs, while keeping soldiers safe, similar to what happened in Operation Sindoor.

IBGs

As per The Wire, official sources said there will be no new recruitments for these units. Instead, some of the Army’s 250 single-arm brigades (each brigade is a large unit with about 3,000–3,500 soldiers of only one type, like infantry, artillery, or armour) will be reshaped into multi-arm groups, without adding more soldiers.

The Chief of Army Staff Gen. Dwivedi’s launch of these ‘Sanskrit-named’ units is basically a revival of the old Integrated Battle Groups (IBGs), first planned under the Army’s ‘Cold Start’ doctrine (strategy for quick strikes into enemy territory).

The ‘Cold Start’ doctrine was made for quick, limited attacks on Pakistan without starting a full war.
It became important after the 2001–2002 Operation Parakram standoff, which happened after the terrorist attack on India’s Parliament that India blamed on Pakistan’s ISI (spy agency).

IBGs, led by major generals, were planned as fast-moving forces of 5,000–6,000 soldiers, combining foot soldiers, tanks, air defence, supply units, and attack helicopters. Their goal was to cut down delay between a political order and military action, allowing quick strikes even under a nuclear threat, before the enemy could react or escalate.

The Army’s 2018 Land Warfare Doctrine improved the IBG plan, with Gen. Rawat pushing for their use on both the Pakistan and China borders.
But the project got stuck due to internal disagreements and bureaucratic delays.

One of the most controversial ideas was to remove the brigadier rank, which met with strong opposition inside the Army. At the same time, Gen. Rawat avoided the bigger challenge – the serious lack of funds needed to turn these plans into reality.

In simple terms, the Army’s vision for new, faster-moving units (IBGs) faced two big hurdles:

Rank issue – Removing the brigadier rank (a key officer position) created unrest, as many officers felt it would disturb promotions and the command system.

Money issue – Even if the concept looked strong on paper, the Army did not have the budget for the necessary equipment, training, and restructuring.

This showed that while bold strategies are easy to design, they are much harder to finance and put into practice.

Despite problems, IBGs were approved in 2019 after many field exercises. But progress stopped because of slow decisions in the defence ministry, unclear logistics, and disagreements within the Army. The bigger change planned under Cold Start never happened – until it was revived at the end of July as Rudra with mythological names.

What happened to Rawat’s proposal?

These new brigades will be led by brigadier-rank officers, keeping their position safe and reversing Rawat’s earlier proposal to remove the rank.

Rudra’s name, like the other Sanskrit-based formations, reflects an effort to highlight Indian traditions. But the military structure behind it is still the same as the IBG design.

What makes Rudra different from the earlier IBG plan is still unclear.

The Army leadership calls Rudra an ‘upgrade’, without mentioning the old IBG plan.
They say over time Rudra brigades will use advanced tech like real-time drone intelligence, networked artillery, battlefield surveillance, and fast communications to make attacks quicker and give units more independence in battle.

These upgrades are also meant to fit into the Integrated Theatre Commands planned under CDS Gen. Anil Chauhan.
But many old problems still remain: disagreements between commands, weak logistics, poor communication links, and unresolved air support issues.
On top of this, delays in getting new equipment – both Indian-made and imported – make the situation even harder.

The question is whether the Indian Army can truly create fast, independent, and integrated units for its unsettled borders, or if these mythologically named formations will simply be presented again in the future with new titles and ceremonies.