New Guidelines for Procuring Anti-Drone Technology Soon: Govt

Amid rising number of cases of drones being used for smuggling in arms, explosives and drugs from across the border, the Union government will soon issue guidelines for the procurement of anti-drone technology and systems.

Though the Border Security Force (BSF), the National Security Guard (NSG) along with the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) have been working on counter-drone technology, things are at a nascent stage and it will take time to come up with an effective counter-drone technology, sources in the security set up said.

The Union Home Ministry has taken feedback from the central security forces to formulate the standard guidelines for the procurement of counter-drone technology and it is learnt that the possible technology has been identified by the government and soon the procurement guidelines will be issued, officials said.

They also said that draft qualitative requirements (QRS) have been sent by the BSF and the expression of interest (EoI) has been sought from the manufacturers and possible vendors to supply the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones.

The BSF is looking for a handheld gun to shoot down drones or a group of UAVs (Swarm attack) from a considerable distance of 1000m to 2500m.

The BSF has sought the technology of anti-drone guns which should be portable, lightweight, capable of working both in day and night and must have jamming technology of the radio signal, the sources in the security set up said.

“The system should be capable of jamming the radio signal between the visible drone and the remote-control centre. As far as the operational capability is concerned, technology must accompany the guns that are capable of neutralising the flying objects across the border,” a BSF official said on condition of anonymity.

The officials also said that the technology must have the capability to shoot UAVs within 10 to 15 seconds of their detection.

There have been roughly 60 sightings of drones along the northern border in Jammu and Kashmir and on the western border in Punjab.

Recently, drone strikes in Abu Dhabi have demonstrated the threats they possess. There is a constant threat to the vital installations near the border areas that are under constant review, said a senior official in CISF.

On January 17, Houthi rebels from Yemen targeted the Abu Dhabi international airport and civilian infrastructure by using drones wherein six persons, including two Indians, were killed.

In June 2021, IEDs were dropped at the Air Force station in Jammu using drones, which were sent from across the border.

Source: Business Standard