Jaisalmer: Amid an increasing threat of cross-border drones, the Border Security Force (BSF) is deploying an indigenous anti-drone system along the country's western border in the next six months to tackle with the enemy drones used in cross-border drug smuggling and arms smuggling, officials said on Friday.
Border Security Force DIG Yogendra Singh said that India has used its own anti-drone system to destroy and capture drones coming from Pakistan across the border. He said that the system is being continuously updated and work is going on continuously to deal with drones coming from across the border. “At present, BSF is alert and working to destroy the drones coming from across the border by firing at them,” he said.
“As soon as a drone is seen flying from across the border, the officers immediately give orders to fire on the drone after which several rounds are fired at the drone,” added the DIG BSF. He said that drones are the biggest threat facing the BSF, which he said was prepared for the challenge. “We have installed and developed anti-drone systems at many places. Along with this, we are also using weapons in many ways to deal with drones coming from across the border,” he added.
Puneet Rastogi, IG, Border Security Force, Rajasthan Frontier Headquarters, said that most of the smugglers in Pakistan use drones for cross-border smuggling. “They send drugs from across the border for supply in India. At present, we are using many weapons to blow it up. We are installing anti-drone system and we also update it continuously. After researching the captured drones and looking at the technology used in them, we are also updating our anti-drone system. Anti-drone system will be installed in the coming six months,” the IG BSF said.
According to BSF sources, three different companies have designed anti-drone technology to be deployed along the western border of the country. These designs are currently being tested at specific locations on the Indo-Pak border, sources said. “Soon one or a combination of these designs will be selected and deployed on India's western border. Anti-drone technology will keep an eye on any unidentified UAVs round the clock and shoot them down within a few seconds. It will also alert security forces about drone movement,” a source said.
Significantly, in the last few years, drones have emerged as a big threat to the Indian Army with the UAVs being used by cross-border elements to smuggle weapons and drugs into India. However, the soldiers guarding the border have shot down many drones. With an exponential rise in the drone droppings along the border, the indigenous anti-drone system is touted to be a gamechanger from the security force's point of view.
According to BSF sources, security forces have so far destroyed about 90 drones in the year 2023 and has also captured many drones. Of these, 81 drones were caught in action in Punjab and 9 on the border of Rajasthan. India's first line of defense, the Border Security Force has said it is fully prepared to give a befitting reply to every nefarious acts of the neighbour nation on the Indo-Pak border.
In view of the upcoming Republic Day, BSF is on high alert along the border. BSF soldiers are patrolling the border with modern weapons round the clock near the fencing.
