Sept. 16, 2024
Use of Drones in Warfare
Context: Manipur Chief Minister condemned recent drone bombings on civilians in Imphal West.
Drones or UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle): a remotely controlled flying device generally used for logistics, surveillance, and combat.
Drone use by state actors:
• The USA and Israel are at the forefront of drone development with Predator and Heron models.
• Ukraine use of Bayraktar drones against the Russian invasion has turned the tide of war.
• Russia’s use of Orion drones in Syria in 2019.
Drone use by non-state actors:
• Houthi rebels used drones from Iran to attack Saudi oil facilities.
• Islamist terror outfits like ISIS and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) have used drones for surveillance and attack.
• Narco-traders like the CJNG cartel of Mexico have used drones for bombing targets.
Advantages of Drone Warfare for actors:
• Low cost: Easy to acquire
• Remote: remotely operated, no loss of life and high endurance
• Multi-role: Surveilance, combat role and logistics
Security challenges to India:
• Drone Terrorism: Drones are increasingly used by terrorist groups due to their affordability, manoeuvrability, and payload capacity.
• Surveillance and Intelligence Gathering: Drones monitor military sites, borders, and sensitive government facilities.
• Critical Infrastructure Disruption: They can execute cyber-attacks, jamming, or physical attacks on infrastructure.
• Cross-Border Smuggling: Drones smuggle contraband, drugs, and weapons, particularly from Pakistan.
• Privacy Concerns: Drones with cameras threaten individual privacy and the security of sensitive facilities, like nuclear plants.
Steps taken:
• Drone Rules 2021 to regulate the internal movement of drones while incentivizing the indigenous drone manufacturing industry.
• Indian Army Aviation Corp is being made responsible for offensives and drone counter-measures.
• Indigenous anti-drone systems are being developed like Indrajaal by Hyderabad-based Grene Robotics.
• Drone development by the DRDO including Nishant, Rustom, MALE, et al and acquisition of foreign-made variants like the Heron.
• Drone Import Policy 2022: Bans foreign drone imports, but allows drone component imports.
• PLI Scheme: Incentivizes domestic drone and component manufacturing.
Mitigating Drone-Related Threats:
• Counter-Drone Technology: Neutralizes unauthorized drones.
• Capacity Building: Improves drone detection and response by security forces.
• Public-Private Partnerships: Supports indigenous drone technology development.
Conclusion:
Drone warfare is causing a revolution in the nature of warfare in the 21st century, providing asymmetric warfare capabilities to the smallest of state and non-state actors. India must keep pace with the world for its security.