Novel technologies, with more efficiency, precision, autonomy, speed, data-driven insights, and adaptability, are leading to renewed expectations on the battlefield. One such technology that has stirred considerable excitement in military thinking over recent years is Drone Swarming. Increasing attention is paving the way for its swift adoption by different states with the aim of better performance with reduced costs. This Working Paper examines existing literature on the subject to analyse future utility and impact of drone swarming in warfare. The findings reveal that the technology holds considerable promise for various military purposes, including offence, defence and several additional military roles on the battlefield. While opportunities are captivating military thinkers, they must also be mindful of associated challenges. Presence of effective countermeasures and possibility of even more potent countermeasures in the future, granting appropriate levels of autonomy, and ethical considerations pose concurrent dilemmas. Given rapid proliferation of the technology and its recent advent in South Asia, there is a pressing need for Pakistan to start exploring and seriously investing in this technology to meet future military requirements.

Share this article
The Extraction Trap
Trump’s declaration to “run Venezuela” after Maduro’s capture is a seeming promise of a sudden cure to Venezuela’s ills. However, it ignores the nation’s terminal diagnosis of a century of plunder. The rhetoric of imminent revival on the basis of the speedy return of international oil capital and the promise of 100 billion US dollars in reconstruction funds made the intervention seem like a unique opportunity.
Future Shield: The Saudi-Pakistan Security Partnership
Although the SDMA does not identify an adversary, effectively functioning as a deterrent, it cannot be viewed in isolation from the Israeli belligerence in the Middle East. Israel’s war against Hamas has expanded beyond the genocide of Gaza; it has bombed the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iran, and recently Qatar. Tel Aviv’s campaign under the banners of ‘anti-Semitism’ and ‘terrorism’ has engulfed the whole Middle East in a war-like situation, which has generated new enemies and has deepened the instability of the region.
The Trilateral Shift
On 15 January 2026, the Pakistani defence production minister confirmed that an agreement for a new trilateral defence deal between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and TĂ¼rkiye is in the pipeline, other than the Pakistan-Saudi bilateral deal announced last year.

