CHANDIGARH: Indian Army is installing multi-tier anti-drones steel mesh screens to protect high value institutions and sensitive military infrastructure in field areas from attacks by drones and unmanned aerial systems ( UAS).
The anti- drone mesh screens will initially be installed at several locations in the western sector.
The installation plan come up, when Pakistan managed to breach Indian airspace with swarms of drones, including surveillance and unmanned aerial systems (UAS) as more than 850 drone intrusions along the India- Pakistan border in the 2025-26.
It is learnt that these structures are intended to provide an additional layer of protection against swarm drones and complement existing anti-drone measures such as guns, lasers and jammers as the small and low-flying drones are generally more difficult to detect and neutralize than larger UAS.
The use of metal meshes to counter drones first gained prominence during the Russia-Ukraine war, when advancing Russian tanks were spotted with such protective structures mounted on them.
According to a request for information issued by the Army on September 25, the screens, measuring about 37 meter in length and 20 meter in width built with three adequately spaced layers of different types of steel mesh to facilitate staged interception, energy dissipation, and the progressive arrest of incoming drones or small unmanned aerial systems.
The outer layer features will incorporate non-reflective coatings, multi-spectral camouflage paint, and natural terrain blending to minimize visual and thermal signatures from aerial and ground surveillance.
Sources said that these multi-tier anti-drone steel mesh screens are initially planned for critical structures such as command centres and ammunition storage in forward locations within the Western Sector, complementing existing active countermeasures like lasers, jammers, and anti-drone guns.
Also as many as 30 types of UAS and loitering munitions, covering 80 variants across five categories: surveillance, strike, air defence, special roles and logistics have been identified for deployment in different operational scenarios and terrain conditions. Besides several existing air-defence weapons have been modified to detect and destroy small drones as part of the broader air-defence network.
Sources said that a core committee has been constituted to take decisions on the induction, proliferation and deployment of UAS and counter-UAS equipment in the Army and to coordinate all related aspects.
Already the Army is using steel meshes and synthetic nets to provide overhead protection to frontline equipment, bunkers, observation posts, artillery guns and vehicles, including tanks. Some of these anti-drone measures for vehicles were also displayed during this year's Republic Day Parade in New Delhi.
According to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) a total of 863 drone intrusions along the India-Pakistan border were reported in 2025-26, including 854 incidents in Punjab and Rajasthan and 237 drones were shot down, including five carrying war-like stores, 72 carrying narcotics and 161 without any payload.
"These activities signify greater attempts by the adversary to employ drones for various nefarious activities like reconnaissance and smuggling of arms, ammunition and narcotics along the International border, especially in Punjab," the annual report for 2025-26 of MOD states.
The army through in-house projects and collaboration with the industry has accelerated the development and induction of indigenous drones and counter-drone systems as automated systems and AI-enabled platforms becoming integral to modern warfare.
For India, the significance of drones was already evident during Operation Sindoor, where unmanned systems played a key role in reconnaissance and surveillance. The latest Russian attacks have added fresh urgency to India's push to build a large domestic military drone arsenal.
According to officials familiar with the developments, Operation Sindoor and ongoing conflicts abroad have provided key insights into how future wars will be fought, and the measures being discussed and implemented by the Indian armed forces are in line with the evolving realities.