In post-Sindoor push, 1st batch of BSF ‘drone commandos’ soon, Pg 9.

Key Highlights:

• The Border Security Force (BSF) will soon graduate its first batch of 47 "drone commandos" from its new Drone Warfare School in Tekanpur, Madhya Pradesh.
• The school was established following Operation Sindoor to integrate drones into BSF operations.
• The curriculum includes flying, surveillance, combat, and countering Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).
• The BSF is collaborating with IIT Delhi and IIT Kanpur to develop indigenous and weaponized drones.

Detailed Insights:

• Operation Sindoor and the Russia-Ukraine war highlighted the importance of aerial vehicles in modern warfare, prompting the BSF to integrate drones as standard weapons.
• The Drone Warfare School offers two courses: Drone Commandos for personnel and Drone Warriors for officers, with wings for flying, tactics, and research & development.
• The BSF aims to equip its soldiers with the proficiency to repair, fly, and conduct both defensive and offensive operations using drones, similar to their expertise with INSAS rifles.
• The Drone Technology Lab within the Kustam ji Institute of Technology analyzes data from UAVs shot down at the India-Pakistan border to develop new drone technologies.
• The BSF's Police Technology Innovation Centre is working on projects to use drones in offensive operations, including attaching guns to fast-moving drones and developing drones capable of carrying kamikaze drones.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV): An aircraft without a human pilot on board, controlled remotely.
• Operation Sindoor: A key event that prompted the BSF to integrate drones into its operational strategy.
• Kamikaze Drone: A type of UAV that is designed to be expendable and inflict damage by crashing into a target.