UAVs have emerged as “aerial dimension” of asymmetric warfare along Indian Maritime and Land Borders.
Threat of UAVs to Internal Security
Narco-Terror Financing- Drones ferry heroin and “ICE” to fund cross-border insurgencies.
Small Arms Proliferation- Quadcopters drop Turkish-made pistols and grenades for sleeper cells.
Explosive-laden drones target high-value military assets. Eg- 2021 Jammu Air Force Station attack
Radicalization via Propaganda- Drops of subversive literature and inflammatory digital devices in border districts. Eg- Materials recovered in J&K (2025).
Intelligence and Reconnaissance- map border outposts, fence gaps, and troop movement
Swarm Overload Tactics- Deploying multiple UAVs to saturate and confuse conventional radar systems. Eg- “Operation Sindoor” .
Smugglers use “dark vessels” (drones with lights/transponders off) that switch frequencies to evade standard radio-frequency (RF) scanners.
Small DJI-type drones fly below 100 feet at night, exploiting the “radar gap” where traditional air defense is ineffective.
Measures Taken to Tackle the Threat
Mission Sudarshan Chakra – AI-driven air-defense shield for major cities and critical border belts.
Drone Rules, 2021 – For regulating civilian drone rules. Eg- strict import norms
Indrajaal – AI-powered Anti-Drone Patrol Vehicle t0 detect and neutralize drones within 10 km.
Anti-Drone Grid (ARDS) along the Punjab border featuring “Soft Kill” (jammers/spoofers) and “Hard Kill” (lasers/kinetic interceptors).
DRDO-developed D-4 systems and Bhargavastra – use lasers to destroy targets within 2 km.
Integration of thermal imagers and radar into the CIBMS.
Drone Forensics Centers to trace flight paths, launch points, and “Digital Signatures” of captured foreign UAVs.
Indigenous “Kamikaze” “Zombee” Drones designed to crash into hostile drones mid-air.
BSF and State Police have set up mobile checkpoints 5–10 km inside the border to intercept ground-level “receivers.”
Community Rewards Scheme to report drone sounds (contributes to 40% of recoveries)
Aatmanirbhar Defense Push- Funding startups via iDEX
Baaj Akh (2025)- Punjab government’s anti-drone system as a second line of defense behind BSF
Role of private sector
Nagastra – Loitering munition (suicide drones)
Bhargavastra – Counter drone system for swarm detection
A comprehensive National Security Doctrine covering anti-drone measures is needed to ensure “secure skies”