The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by our adversaries across the borders to ferry…

Question

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by our adversaries across the borders to ferry arms/ammunitions, drugs, etc., is a serious threat to the internal security. Comment on the measures being taken to tackle this threat.

Ghissu Editorial · Accepted Answer

India is countering cross-border drones through a layered grid of detection, jamming and hard-kill systems, backed by drone rules and wider BSF jurisdiction, though coverage and command gaps remain. DRDO's D4 system detects, jams and destroys rogue drones and is deployed against such threats.

**Introduction**

The drone attack on the Jammu Air Force Station on 27 June 2021, the first on an Indian military base, showed how cheap UAVs let adversaries bypass fences. In Punjab, Pakistani drones routinely drop heroin, pistols and cash for local modules.

**Measures Being Taken Against Cross-Border Drones**

SKETCH: flow | Layered Counter-Drone Grid
- Detect: radar, RF
- Identify and track
- Soft kill: jamming
- Hard kill: laser, guns
- Recover and probe

1. **Technology shield**: DRDO's D4 system detects, jams and destroys rogue drones, and the BSF has deployed anti-drone units along the Punjab frontier.
2. **Legal framework**: The MHA's National Counter Rogue Drone Guidelines (2019), the Drone Rules 2021 with Digital Sky zones, and the 2022 ban on foreign drone imports make civilian drones traceable.
3. **Wider jurisdiction**: Extending the BSF's search-and-seizure reach from 15 km to 50 km in October 2021 lets it chase drops inland, while the NIA probes the receiving modules and villagers are rewarded for tips.

**Gaps That Limit These Measures**

1. **Coverage deficit**: Small drones flying low at night evade conventional radars, and anti-drone units cover only stretches of the frontier.
2. **Cost and deniability**: Cheap commercial drones flown from across the border cost far less than the systems that stop them, and their handlers stay beyond Indian law.
3. **Fragmented command**: The BSF, state police, NCB and Air Force lack a single counter-drone command, and imported sensors slow any scale-up.

**Conclusion**

The measures are moving in the right direction, from reactive firing to a layered grid, but remain patchy. A national counter-UAS command backed by Indian start-ups would make the drone an adversary's dead end rather than a shortcut.

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by our adversaries across the borders to ferry arms/ammunitions, drugs, etc., is a serious threat to the internal security. Comment on the measures being taken to tackle this threat.

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