The Border Security Force (BSF) is launching its first-ever “drone squadron” to bolster security along the 3,323-km India-Pakistan border, following lessons from Operation Sindoor, a retaliatory strike against Pakistan after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people. The squadron, to be stationed at select border outposts (BoPs) from Jammu to Gujarat, will feature reconnaissance, surveillance, and attack drones operated by specially trained personnel, controlled from the BSF’s western command in Chandigarh, sources told PTI.
Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7, targeted terror and defense bases in Pakistan and PoK, with the BSF destroying 118 Pakistani posts, as stated by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Pakistan retaliated with thousands of drones, including a May 10 bomb-laden UAV attack on the Kharkola post in RS Pura, Jammu, killing two BSF personnel and an Army jawan, and injuring four others, one requiring leg amputation.
The BSF’s drone squadron will deploy small teams of 2-3 personnel at vulnerable BoPs, equipped with diverse UAVs for surveillance and precision strikes during conflicts akin to Operation Sindoor. The force is procuring advanced drones and training personnel in batches. To counter future drone threats, the BSF is fortifying BoP bunkers with alloy sheets and collaborating with defense research and intelligence agencies for counter-drone systems to neutralize rogue UAVs.
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Post-Sindoor, Pakistani smugglers have escalated drone intrusions, using Chinese-made drones like DJI Mavic 3 Classic to deliver drugs and arms up to 2.5 km into India. In 2024, the BSF seized 200 drones in Punjab alone, carrying 208 kg of heroin and 30 weapons, doubling 2023’s figures. The BSF’s anti-drone measures, including RF jammers and indigenous systems like DRONAAM, neutralized 55% of drones in Punjab.
The squadron’s formation follows a review of BSF’s vulnerabilities exposed during Operation Sindoor, where Pakistan’s drone swarms targeted military and civilian areas. The BSF’s enhanced defenses and indigenous tech aim to secure the border against evolving aerial threats.
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