Target Not in Sight

Atul Chandra

The recent furore over the drone attack on the Indian Air Force (IAF) air base in June has brought out the lack of preparedness with regards to anti-drone technologies within the armed forces. The use of small drones to undertake various missions against the Indian military has steadily increased over the years and it beggar’s belief that until the recent drone strike, a concerted effort to procure sufficient numbers of counter drone systems for defence of airbases and other crucial military infrastructure was not already underway.

Behind the Curve

At this year’s Army Day Parade in January, the Indian Army showcased a live drone swarming demonstration using 75 indigenously designed and developed drones. An MoD release stated that the drone swarm ‘executed an array of Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabled simulated offensive missions and close support tasks’.

However, the question remains that whether the army units located in forward areas are equipped with the ability to defend themselves against a similar threat from an adversary? Contrary to public perception, drone and counter-drone technologies are highly specialised and require years of training for their operating crews to attain proficiency. While emergency purchases can tide over immediate requirements, inducting these systems in large numbers across the armed forces and creating the necessary operational and training infrastructure could take close to a decade, leaving India vulnerable to drone attacks.

While the damage created by attacks such as the recent strikes against an air force base carried out by a few drones is not extensive, future attacks may prove costlier. Drones allow an attacker to reach any target in any location without risk to their own personnel. Their small size and low noise signature make them especially suited to espionage and low-intensity strikes with payloads ranging from surveillance cameras, weapons, explosives, hazardous chemicals, etc. Small UAV’s allow the adversary to not only target opposing force tanks and other military vehicles or installations but also groups of military personnel or any targets of opportunity, which maybe timebound. Such drone operations by non-state actors also present the armed forces with limited retaliatory options.

Misplaced Priorities

Over the last few years, there appear to have been only token efforts by the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) to develop anti-drone technologies. Two of India’s major defence partners, Israel and Russia, are acknowledged as global leaders in anti-drone technologies, yet these partnerships were not leveraged to introduce state-of-the-art counter drone system technologies in the large numbers needed nationwide.

According to a ministry of defence statement in March 2021, ‘During the past three years, 79 projects amounting to Rs 8,201 crores directly pertaining to the development of new defence equipment i.e., Cruise Missile, Anti-Ship Missile, Surface-to-Air Missile, Air-to-Air Missile, Extended Range Anti-Submarine Rocket, Mounted Gun System, Ammunitions,