DRONES AND SECURITY

Posted 15 Feb 2024

Updated 22 Mar 2024

5 min read

Why in the news?

Adani Defence and Aerospace recently introduced the Drishti 10 Starliner Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for the Indian Navy.

Surveillance and Intelligence: Drones can be used in remote surveillance, reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering operations by security agencies.
Offensive military operations: Drones can be used to strike the enemy or its infrastructure in deep, inhospitable locations.
Replacing manned aircrafts: It helps in achieving military goals without the risk posed to pilots’ life during security operations.
Military logistics: Indian army has planned to replace mules and choppers with drones for supplies at forward posts along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, Leh, and Northeastern India.
Serve as force multiplier: AI enabled drones are capable with communicating with each other, Automatic Target Recognition (ATR) and coordinating with ground based conventional military operations.
Use for maintaining law and order: Police drones can be used to monitor large crowds, surveillance of illegal activities, search and rescue operations etc.

Threat to national security: Drones falling in hands of rouge elements can pose a threat to national security.
- E.g., Cross border infiltration of drones along the international border with Pakistan for dropping improvised explosives, weapons and drugs.
- Rogue drones also pose a threat to civilian aerospace and critical infrastructure, like, Nuclear Installations.
Shortage of skills in Drone ecosystem: There is overall shortage of skilled drone operators, drone engineers, service engineers, quality inspectors etc.
Global positioning system (GPS) denied environments: Imported drones using GPS navigation devices may find operational issues in GPS-denied environments.
- E.g., Heron Mk II MALE UAV purchased from Israel.

Shortage of drone batteries: Due to weight concerns, advanced Lithium-ion battery technologies are now being used for drone development instead of traditional Nickel- Cadmium and Silver-Zinc batteries.
- DRDO and ISRO are working on Lithium-Ion cell development, but the activity is still in infant stage.

Ethical and Moral Concerns: Since the usage of long-range drone attacks by American -forces, they have been criticized for their disproportionate impact on civilian communities.

National Counter Rogue Drone Guidelines: In 2019, Ministry of Civil Aviation released the document to lay out guidelines assessing drone threat.
Drone Rules 2021: It divides the Indian airspace into three zones Green, Yellow and Red based on acceptability of flying drones.
- Red zones are no go zones where no drones can be operated except for a permission given by Central Government.

Acquisition of foreign drones: India has imported drone technology from various countries like the US and Israel.
- Heron Mark-II drones: A Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) UAV, inducted by Indian Air Force to carry out surveillance along Northern borders with Pakistan and China.
- Searcher Mk II drones: Developed by Israel Aerospace Industries, it is a reconnaissance drone used by Indian army and navy.
Drone, Detect, Deter and Destroy (D4 System): DRDO developed indigenous anti-drone system, inducted into the Indian Armed Forces.
Border Security: BSF has deployed hand-held static and vehicle-mounted anti-drone systems to counter rising drone threat along Indo-Pak Border.
Indigenous UAV systems: DRDO has been developing UAV systems which are at varying stages of development.

Indigenous drones of DRDO
DRDO Lakshya	Target drone used for discreet aerial reconnaissance and target acquisition. Launched by a solid propellant rocket motor and sustained by a turbojet engine in flight.
DRDO Nishant	Multi-mission UAV launched using a Mobile Hydro pneumatic Launcher with Day/Night capability. Used for battlefield surveillance and reconnaissance, target tracking & localization, and artillery fire correction. Inducted in Indian Army.
RUSTOM-1	It is an all composite, 800 kg class Short Range Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (SR-RPAS). Capabilities of Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance, Target Acquisition/Tracking and Image Exploitation.
TAPAS/ Rustom-2	Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle. Developed for Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) application, is in advance stage of developmental trials.
Archer	Short Range-Unmanned Aerial Vehicle-Weaponised (SR-UAV-W) Being developed for Reconnaissance, Surveillance and low intensity conflict.

Research and Development: To facilitate faster development and deployment of indigenous UAV and counter UAV technology.
Involvement of private sector: To upgrade private sector’s capability to manufacture key components used in drones in order to substitute their imports.
- Further, defence startups must be encouraged to develop military grade drones under initiatives like Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) initiative.
Tri services joint doctrinal framework on drone deployment: This would bring synergy in drone operations and address ethical issues by fixing accountability framework for military usage of drones.