Unmanned Aerial Vehicle The latest drone news
To prevent smuggling via drones from across the border into Indian territory, the Central has decided to install indigenous anti-drone technology in the next six months, which is being developed to check all such misadventures by the anti-national elements. In the last 12 months, the Border Security Force (BSF) and Punjab Police have recovered around 110 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and reported 593 drone sightings along the India-Pakistan border since 2019.
Sources in the government said that the security agencies are working on as many as three designs of the anti-drone technology and the final outcome could be three or a combination of all three. “The menace of smuggling in arms and narcotics from across the border, especially in Punjab through the use of drones will be over in the next six months. Definitely the anti-drone technology will be placed by then and currently the trial on the new technology is going,” the sources said.
Data provided by the MHA, shows that maximum drones have been seized from Amritsar sector with 52 and 31 from Ferozpur. In 2023, over 77.32 kg heroin, 3.58 drugs, three pistols, one AKM rifle, three magazines and 63 rounds of ammunition were recovered from the six sectors of Punjab.
According to officials, central agencies believe Pakistani smugglers are using the UAVs to finance and supply weapons to pro-Khalistan entities (PKEs) on the Indian side, who are reciprocating by offering help in establishing “cross-border linkages” and supporting Pakistan intelligence operatives (PIOs). “Pakistan’s ISI supports this narco-terrorism network and they are using drug smugglers as a weapons supplier. The narco smugglers are helping PKEs through weapons smuggling and financing, while PKEs are helping them with the support of cross-border linkage and Pakistan intelligence operatives (PIOs),” the official said, adding the central intelligence agencies have sufficient evidence to show the “nexus”.
In March last year, Union Minister of State for Home Nisith Pramanik had said the Ministry of Home Affairs has established Anti Rogue Drone Technology Committee under the supervision of the director general of the Border Security Force with the mandate to evaluate the technology available to counter rogue drones and certify its effectiveness in dealing with rouge drones.
According to the MHA’s annual report-2023 released last month, 10 states and three Central Armed Police Forces have attended the “drone and anti-drone” training at the NSG centre in Manesar.
