Wg Cdr MVN Sai (Retd)

The last year saw some lethal drone attacks happening in the Indian periphery and even abroad. The drones dropped high grade-explosives damaging the roof of a building and injuring personnel on duty. This was a clear indication towards an ominous future that would be employing Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), autonomous weapons systems as new modes of attack strategy.

Proliferation of Drones

Drones and UAVs were largely military assets till the beginning of the last decade. Soon, this technology caught the fancy of a large number of aero enthusiasts and rapid proliferation started in the civil space, and several pressure groups and influencers have been advocating the rapid mainstreaming of drones into everyday life. Medical supplies, Logistics and Disaster Management in the civilian space are some compelling use-cases. In the military space, there are many drones which are already armed and provide unsurpassed air time. These will be increasingly used in all theatres and will slowly take over the role of primary enforcers of military intent.

From a security perspective, proliferation of drones, both for military and civilian employment will be viewed with a lot of trepidation. The threat of drones being brought to use, by various militia and terror organisations is real, as is borne out by events like the ARAMCO attack as well as the extensive use of drones by the militia in Syria. Armed conflicts in the Balkans have taken the envelope even further. The threat is real and, in our vicinity, as is borne out by everyday events across our northern and western borders. The proliferation of drones in the civilian segment is also leading to increased espionage/ surveillance over critical infrastructure, military stations, scientific establishments and space stations. There have been increased instances of corporate surveillance, disruption of air traffic and dropping of arms/ ammunition, which also merit equal attention.

Point Defence Concept approach and its limitations

Most Anti UAV systems are developed with a Point Defence Concept approach. Such deployments yield limited protection that cover an area of 3-5 sq km at best. This limitation is largely imposed by sensors and weapons under consideration and co-location of these. In an area populated with several vantage points, me