The Border Security Force (BSF) has taken note of global conflicts, including the unrest in the Middle East and the Russia–Ukraine war, as the aerial dimensions of UAV–drone warfare have started dictating terms on battlefields, BSF Inspector General Jammu Frontier Shashank Anand said on Saturday.
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Drone technology has become a decisive element of modern warfare, with the capability to exploit the adversary's airspace, increasingly allowing militaries to conduct reconnaissance, precision strikes, and electronic disruption at relatively low cost.
India witnessed a similar tactic during Operation Sindoor in May, when Pakistan attempted to utilise aerial platforms for cross-border activities, Anand told the press in the presence of BSF DIGs Vikram Kunwar and Kulwant Rai Sharma. The BSF is working in close quarters with its industry partners in drone and anti-drone innovations, who are engaged in continuous research and development.
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To ensure it holds the technological edge, the BSF has set up two drone forensic laboratories — the Central Drone Forensic Laboratory in Delhi and another in Amritsar — which analyse recovered drones and provide actionable intelligence to investigating agencies, the news agency quoted him as saying.
"The BSF and other agencies are tackling the challenge of drones. We are increasing our capabilities, and we hope to be even more successful in the next year," IG Anand was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
The future conflicts or cross-border firing incidents will inevitably have a strong aerial component, making counter-drone preparedness a top priority, he said.
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The BSF has been dealing with drone-based threats since 2019, when cross-border smuggling through unmanned aerial vehicles began in Punjab, the IG said. In response, the force has upgraded training, procured advanced counter-drone systems, and ensured round-the-clock monitoring without disrupting civilian air traffic, he said.
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The force has also established the School of Drone Warfare in Gwalior, signing MoUs with IIT Delhi, IIT Chennai, and the KF Hussain RJIT engineering institute to train students and force personnel for emerging aerial security challenges. The IG said that in all the recent wars worldwide, including the brief India–Pakistan conflict in May, the countries involved tried to exploit the aerial dimension in their own way.