Meet Indrajaal Ranger, India’s New Hilux Based Anti Drone Vehicle

India unveils the Indrajaal Ranger, a Hilux based AI patrol vehicle that detects and neutralises drones while moving.

India has introduced the Indrajaal Ranger, a fully mobile anti drone patrol vehicle built on the Toyota Hilux 4x4 platform. The Ranger is designed to detect, track and neutralise hostile drones while moving, which gives security forces a huge advantage over traditional fixed anti drone systems. The vehicle has been developed by Hyderabad based Indrajaal Drone Defence and is being presented as the country’s first AI driven Anti Drone Patrol Vehicle that can operate across borders, city zones and high risk infrastructure points. Instead of waiting at one position, the Ranger can drive, scan the sky and counter threats all at the same time.

The Hilux 4x4 platform has been chosen for its strength, ground clearance and ability to handle rough surfaces. The base pick up has been heavily reworked with radar, sensors, control systems and dedicated counter drone equipment, yet it keeps the full capabilities of a four wheel drive truck. This setup allows the Ranger to move across rocky stretches, dusty border tracks, desert patches and high altitude roads while the anti drone suite continues scanning without interruption. The goal is simple. Keep the vehicle moving and keep its eyes on the sky.

The core of the Ranger’s capability comes from Indrajaal’s in house autonomy software, often described as SkyOS. This AI system fuses information from a large sensor stack that includes radar, radio frequency scanners, electro optical cameras, infrared imagers and acoustic sensors. By combining all these inputs, the vehicle builds a 360 degree picture of its surroundings. The AI then identifies drones, classifies their type and size, assigns a threat level and selects a response path. Operators can oversee the process or allow the system to act on its own when reaction speed matters.

Indrajaal states that the Ranger can spot drones as far as 10 km away. Once detected, the vehicle can attempt to capture or take control of the drone at around 5 km. Soft kill tools such as jamming or navigation spoofing work up to roughly 3 km. Hard kill solutions are effective at shorter distances, around 2 km. This layered approach gives forces several chances to stop a drone before it gets close to a sensitive location. It also allows teams to try non destructive options first before switching to physical neutralisation.

The counter drone kit inside the Ranger is designed to tackle a wide variety of threats. A cyber takeover unit tries to hack the drone’s communication link and force it to land in a safe spot. Radio jammers and GNSS spoofers can break navigation and control signals, which is often enough to stop commercial or improvised drones. If these efforts fail, the Ranger has kinetic interceptors and a spring based kill mechanism that can physically bring down the drone. These tools make the vehicle capable of handling everything from small hobby drones to advanced long range platforms.

Because the entire system is mobile, the Ranger can be deployed along borders, highways, power corridors, refinery belts and port regions. It can also be used in cities to stop drones used for illegal surveillance, smuggling or targeted attacks. In urban spaces, the focus is often on using cyber takeover or controlled landings so drones do not fall into crowded areas. This makes the Ranger suitable for both high risk zones and routine policing.

The new patrol vehicle is part of a much larger anti drone ecosystem that Indrajaal has been building over the last few years. The company has demonstrated fixed and semi mobile systems that can form wide security domes using networked sensors and shared data. The Ranger is meant to fill the gaps between these static systems by providing mobility and fast response. Now that the Hilux based platform has been shown, the next steps are expected to include field testing, pilot deployments with border agencies and police units, and possible export opportunities for countries facing similar drone threats.

The Indrajaal Ranger highlights how Indian defence tech is moving away from simple jamming posts and shifting toward agile, AI driven patrol vehicles that can actively hunt hostile drones instead of just waiting for them to appear.