NEW DELHI: The security agencies are identifying sensitive locations that need Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems protection. The exercise became vital in the wake of the threat of drone attacks, especially after the recent dropping of weapons by drones in Punjab, allegedly by Pakistan-based trouble makers.
The agencies are also working on getting mobile anti-drone devices that can be fitted into vehicles used by VIPs or that may be installed at crowded places when required, this newspaper has learnt.
The ideas were discussed earlier this week in the first meeting of a central committee that was formed on the instructions of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to study and analyse threats from drones.
The committee, comprising officials of CAPFs, police forces of states and Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD), discussed how radio frequency, GPS technology and radar can be used to detect, destroy and bring down rogue drones.
The committee, also tasked with drafting a standard operating procedure (SOP) for law enforcement agencies on what to do in the event of a rogue strike, also discussed ‘grey areas’ such as the absence of any mechanism to deal with UAVs using 5G technology.
Officials said induction of modern anti-drone weapons like ‘drone gun’ and ‘sky fence’ was also discussed.
Notably, on Friday, Indian Air Force chief RKS Bhaduria had said IAF was in the process of procuring sensors and other equipment to thwart aerial attacks.
There are many challenges in drafting a comprehensive standard operating procedure (SOP) for law enforcement agencies and we have no SOP on anti-drone operations at present, a senior official said.
“We want to go for ‘soft kill’ when targeting rogue drones. We have to ensure there is no collateral damage. So, anti-drone technologies that we use in the future have to be designed accordingly,” the official said. The official added that police forces do not have technical specifications for anti-drone equipment. Another official pointed out that India does not have any technology to detect drones flying with 5G technology and this is a “big concern”.
Hi-tech gadgets
A drone gun is capable of jamming radio, GPS and mobile signal between the drone and the pilot and force the drone to ground before it can wreak any damage.
The sky fence system uses a range of signal disruptors to jam the flight path