Op Sindoor Fallout: BSF raises first drone squadron to guard India-Pakistan border
The squadron will be coordinated through a central control room located at the BSF's western command headquarters in Chandigarh.;
The decision to raise the unit was taken after a recent review of the strengths, weaknesses and threats facing the force post-Operation Sindoor.
New Delhi, July 23: The Border Security Force (BSF) is set to raise its first-ever “drone squadron” to strengthen surveillance and defence along the India-Pakistan border. This move comes in response to growing concerns over cross-border UAV threats, particularly after the recent experiences of Operation Sindoor.
According to sources in the security establishment, the squadron will be stationed at select Border Outposts (BoPs) and will include a range of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) designed for reconnaissance, surveillance, and attack operations. It will also consist of specially trained personnel capable of operating and managing these high-tech systems.
The squadron will be coordinated through a central control room located at the BSF's western command headquarters in Chandigarh. The BSF is primarily responsible for guarding the India-Pakistan international border, and this initiative marks a significant step in enhancing its counter-drone capabilities.
The decision to raise the unit was taken after a recent review of the strengths, weaknesses and threats facing the force post-Operation Sindoor.
The operation was launched by India to strike at terrorist and defence bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) as a retaliation against the Pahalgam attack of April 22, in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed in the Baisaran meadows.
The BSF actively participated in the operation, launched on May 7, along with the Army.
Pakistan sent thousands of drones, including a swarm of these flying objects, in response to Operation Sindoor to target Indian bases as well as civilian areas along the western front.
Sources said the BSF drone squadron will be located in a specific number of BOPs located along the more than 2,000-km-long India-Pakistan border running from Jammu in the north to Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat on the western side of the country.
The squadron will be equipped with a variety of small and large surveillance, reconnaissance and attack drones that will be launched during operations or any ‘hot war’ like situation similar to Operation Sindoor, the sources in the security establishment said.
A small team of about 2-3 personnel each will be deployed in “vulnerable and specified” BOPs. Some drones and gadgetry are being procured for the maiden squadron, and the personnel chosen for the task are being trained in batches, they said.
The BSF, learning from the May 10 drone attack, has also begun hardening its defences and bunkers along the border with Pakistan to fend off attacks in which enemy drones cross over and drop bombs and explosives.
PTI