From ground to the skies: How drones are reshaping operations along borders, Pg3

Key Highlights:

• On June 26, 2021, the Indian Air Force station in Jammu was attacked using drones to airdrop bombs.
• On June 20, 2020, the BSF shot down a drone carrying weapons near Kathua district.
• Between May 7-8 of last year, Pakistan launched drone attacks using nearly 300-400 drones targeting around three dozen locations from Kashmir to Sir Creek in Gujarat.
• Since 2021, infiltration bids have fallen from 143 in 2018 to 34, with contraband now being dropped by Pakistani drones.
• J&K Police have seized nearly 68,000 kg of narcotics valued at around Rs 30,000 crore across the UT.

Detailed Insights:

• The use of drones by Pakistan has changed border security, requiring new strategies and technologies to counter the threat.
• Operation Sindoor marked the first use of drone swarms in an Indo-Pak conflict, leading to permanent changes in border warfare.
• Indian armed forces have deployed SkyStriker Kamikaze drones, HAROP, and Nagastra-1, along with counter-drone systems like MANPADS, DEWs, and the indigenous anti-drone D-4 system.
• Advanced sensors like thermal imagers, underground sensors, fibre-optic sensors, radar, and sonar are used to create an electronic barrier for round-the-clock monitoring.
• The technology-driven approach has led to a sharp fall in infiltration attempts and a significant decrease in militant skirmishes on the border.
• Policing in border areas has been intensified through the recruitment of Village Defence Guards from local youth.
• Pakistan switched to drones because border fencing and monitoring systems made ground infiltration nearly impossible.

Key Concepts Involved:

• MANPADS (Man-Portable Air Defence Systems): Portable surface-to-air missiles that can be fired by individuals to target aircraft.
• DEWs (Direct Energy Weapons): Weapons that use focused electromagnetic energy to damage a target.
• Operation Sindoor: A military operation that marked the first use of drone swarms in an Indo-Pak conflict.
• Village Defence Guards: Local youth recruited to patrol and maintain vigilance in border areas.