The Indian Air Force has launched the third edition of its Mehar Baba Competition, inviting domestic industries, startups, universities, and research organizations to develop collaborative drone-based surveillance radar systems. Registration opens on April 27, 2026, according to an official release from the Ministry of Defence.

The theme of MBC-3 is "Collaborative Drone-Based Surveillance Radars." The competition challenges participants to build a proof of concept in which a swarm of unmanned aerial systems operates as an airborne radar network capable of detecting, tracking, and reporting aerial targets in contested environments, relaying accurate location data to a centralized monitoring station.

The concept envisions replacing or supplementing large, expensive platforms like AWACS aircraft with distributed networks of smaller drones, according to the Times of India.

A senior scientist working with Bharat Electronics Limited noted challenges around the power requirements of drones and the computational demands of maintaining tight formation while fusing data from a moving, distributed radar array.

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The competition was first announced by Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth at Aero India 2025 on February 11, 2025. The top three winners will receive awards, and meritorious participants will receive development funding from the IAF.

Building on previous editions

Named after Air Commodore Mehar Singh, a decorated officer known for landmark aviation missions including the first landing at Leh, the Mehar Baba Competition was first launched in October 2018.

The first edition focused on swarm drones for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations and concluded in October 2021. The second edition, launched in April 2022 with the theme of swarm drone-based foreign object debris detection on aircraft operating surfaces, concluded in July 2024, with Pune-based Ayaan Autonomous Systems winning and Fleet RF of Greater Noida finishing as runner-up out of an initial 129 applicants.

The initiative has reportedly helped generate orders worth nearly ₹2,000 crore for the unmanned systems industry. Full details and a vision document are available on the IAF's official Mehar Baba Competition portal.