We recently saw Mahindra unveil a heavily modified version of the Mahindra Thar Roxx for the Indian Army. It was called the ATV, and the Indian SUV manufacturer recently handed over the vehicles to the force. After the Mahindra ATV, we have now come across another specialised vehicle based on a Toyota Hilux pickup truck. It is called the Ranger and is India’s first AI-enabled anti-drone patrol vehicle. The truck has been developed by Indrajaal, a defence technology firm.
The Indrajaal Ranger, as mentioned above, is based on a Toyota Hilux pickup truck. It has been designed in such a way that it serves as a patrol vehicle in tactical operations conducted by our armed forces. The purpose of this vehicle is to provide defence against unmanned aerial systems, commonly known as drones. It offers an on-the-move defence mechanism against hostile drones.
Unlike stationary air-defence grids, the anti-drone vehicle is capable of detecting, tracking, and neutralising airborne threats while on the move. The Ranger offers an extra layer of protection on long border roads, critical infrastructure corridors, and in volatile urban environments. It can stop narco-drones and cross-border weapons drops before they reach their designated drop zones. It can move alongside military and VIP convoys to create a mobile “sky shield.” It can secure Forward Operating Bases and tactical field camps where installing fixed radar structures is impossible. Multiple Ranger vehicles can also link together into a synchronised, larger defence network to cover extensive battlefronts dynamically. The anti-drone vehicle ensures continuous surveillance and is also easy to deploy.
It uses an AI-driven command core called SkyOS to seamlessly detect, track, and neutralise rogue drones through a four-layered combat envelope. It uses a highly sensitive Direction Finder unit and multi-spectral sensors to scan the airspace, pinpointing both the rogue drone and its controller’s direction from as far as 10 km away. It then employs an advanced cyber-takeover unit. Instead of just jamming, it can reportedly hack the drone’s protocol mid-flight, override enemy control, and force it to land safely.
The system also uses GNSS (GPS) spoofing and targeted RF jamming to sever navigation signals and cut off operator control, causing the drone to crash or drift away without signal spillover. Apart from the soft-kill mechanisms, the anti-drone vehicle also has hard-kill measures for critical situations requiring immediate action against rogue systems or swarms. The vehicle can deploy kinetic countermeasures, including mechanical overrides and autonomous interceptor drones, to physically take down the threat.
The Toyota Hilux is one of the most reliable and sturdy pickup trucks available in the country, and that is probably the reason why Indrajaal opted for it. As part of the project, they have customised the exterior of the vehicle too. The Toyota logo has been removed from the vehicle. The stock bumper has been replaced with off-road bumpers. The pickup also gets an electronic winch, auxiliary lamps on the bonnet, flared wheel arches, aftermarket alloy wheels with thick off-road-spec tyres, side steps, roof rails, and more.
The complete mechanism for the anti-drone operations has been strategically mounted on the roof and in the cargo bed of the pickup truck. The vehicle continues to use the same 2.8-litre turbo-diesel engine that generates 201 Bhp and 500 Nm of torque. The pickup is available with an automatic transmission only.
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