Cheap But Precise: How Drones Pose Major Risk To Key Assets In Northeast, And The Myanmar Factor

Last Updated:March 19, 2026, 23:26 IST

Sources said India's northeast is facing a security risk with the rise of drone technology in neighbouring Myanmar, which is granting insurgent groups a form of "cheap air power"

A new threat is being assembled against India’s northeast via Myanmar and a cheap drone revolution, as per intelligence reports.

According to top intelligence sources, the northeast is facing a sophisticated and evolving security challenge with the rise of drone technology in neighbouring Myanmar, which is granting insurgent groups a form of “cheap air power".

This comes with the recent arrest of seven foreigners – six Ukrainians and one American – under India’s stringent UAPA for allegedly being involved in a “proxy destabilisation" campaign. The NIA, which is investigating this “terror conspiracy" case, has accused the group of equipping and training armed ethnic groups across the Indo-Myanmar border, which have ties with insurgents in the northeastern states.

Intelligence sources told News18 that European hardware and western expertise are being leveraged to target critical infrastructure, including military bases, oil refineries, and hydroelectric dams, in this area.

WHAT ARE THE KEY ASSETS AT RISK?

Intelligence sources said the primary concern for security forces is that this high-tech expertise is rapidly flowing back to banned Indian insurgent organisations – ULFA, NSCN, and Kuki Zo-aligned groups – who maintain ties with Myanmar rebels.

The sources said these groups are now capable of conducting precision strikes and surveillance in the difficult, hilly terrain of the northeast, bypassing traditional ground patrols. Strategic assets at “direct risk" include the Assam Rifles and army border outposts near the Manipur-Myanmar border, as well as Indian Air Force bases in Chabua and Tezpur. These military bases, which guard the eastern frontier, are now vulnerable to drone-delivered explosives or communication jamming, they said.

They said the region’s energy and transport hubs are increasingly exposed – ONGC oil fields and refineries in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh could face massive economic disruption if targeted. The Subansiri Lower Dam and other hydroelectric projects in Mizoram and Manipur are vulnerable to sabotage, which could trigger widespread blackouts and flood risks.

IS THIS LINKED TO MANIPUR?

Intelligence sources said recent incidents in Manipur demonstrate that militants are already deploying these tactics to disrupt civilian life and security operations.

In September 2024, Kuki militants reportedly used drones to drop over 40 bombs in Imphal West, resulting in civilian deaths. In November 2025, the banned PLA insurgent group claimed a drone attack on an Assam Rifles temporary base.

“Even at this stage, the problem was not just for India, but people learning dangerous technology across the border can be detrimental for Indian sensitive installations," an intelligence source said.

The sources said the 2025-2026 period has witnessed a marked increase in groups testing rockets and drones, turning sporadic ethnic clashes into high-tech insurgencies. As technology transfers accelerate, non-state actors are effectively gaining “air superiority" through low-cost means.

They said these silent, cheap drones allow insurgents to conduct sustained campaigns that were previously impossible without a conventional air force. For the security forces, the challenge lies in countering sophisticated drone campaigns that include advanced jamming capabilities designed to neutralise existing counter-drone systems.

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