Drone Commandos

BSF gears up to tackle to challenge of UAVs from across the border

Subhashis Mittra

The Border Security Force (BSF) is engaged in training special units of ‘drone commandos’ and ‘drone warriors’ for modern warfare involving remote-controlled aerial platforms in the wake of lethal drone attacks witnessed during Operation Sindoor. The border guarding force that provides security to India’s boundary with Pakistan and Bangladesh, seeks to counter the mounting aerial threats from Pakistan.

The trigger is said to be the ‘sharp’ spike in the sightings and recovery of drugs-laden drones coming into India from Pakistan across the international border (IB) in Punjab over the last four years, posing a ‘significant’ threat to the country's internal security. The unit will be deployed at select Border Outposts (BOPs) along the India-Pakistan frontier and will include reconnaissance, surveillance and attack drones operated by specially trained personnel.

A ‘School of Drone Warfare’ was recently inaugurated by BSF Director General Daljit Singh Chawdhary at the Officers’ Training Academy of the BSF in Tekanpur, Madhya Pradesh, where the force was raising its maiden ‘drone squadron’ following the lessons learnt after Operation Sindoor. ‘The School of Drone Warfare will provide special training to the border guarding troops of the force in combating modern strategic challenges,’ a BSF official said.

The institute will prepare drone commandos and drone warriors through five special courses that include unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations, anti-drone warfare and sur