BSF Drone Squadron: Force Raising Advanced UAV Fleet To Guard India-Pakistan Border

Using its ‘Right to Respond’, India gave a befitting reply to Pakistani terrorists for the gruesome attack on its soil in Pahalgam through ‘Operation Sindoor’. Drones played a key role in the retaliatory strikes held on May 7.

In the aftermath of the deadly April 22 Pahalgam terror attack on civilians, Indian security forces are further levelling up and the Border Security Force (BSF) is no exception. The BSF, which actively participated in Operation Sindoor alongside the Indian Army, is working to establish a maiden “drone squadron” which would be deployed along the India-Pakistan border.

Keeping in mind the huge potential of drones, the force has already started “hardening” its defences and posts against lethal Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) attacks.

Where will BSF’s drone squadrons be based?

The maiden squadron being raised by the Border Security Force will be based in specific border outposts (BoPs) along the over 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, news reports suggested.

For their monitoring, the BSF will keep a small team of about 2-3 personnel each stationed at “vulnerable and specified” BOPs. Training of the personnel picked for to be part of the squadron are being trained in batches.

What will be the advantages of BSF’s drone squadron?

Currently under training, this upcoming drone squadron will be given a range of small and large surveillance, reconnaissance and attack drones. These UAVs will be brought to use during operations or any ‘hot war’ like situation similar to Operation Sindoor.

Some of the UAVs in the squadron will be an assortment of reconnaissance, surveillance and attack drones, and will have specially-trained personnel who can operate these machines. The drone squadron will be navigated by a control room based in the western command headquarters of the BSF in Chandigarh.

What necessitated the creation of these drone squadrons?

It was the recent India-Pakistan conflict that brought the need for an enhanced and next-gen tech at key border areas in sharp focus once more. Following India’s retaliatory Operation Sindoor, Pakistan sent an army of drones, including a swarm of these, in a bid to target Indian bases.

Just a few days after Operation Sindoor on May 10, a bomb-laden Pakistani drone dropped explosives at the border post Kharkola in the RS Pura sector of Jammu. The explosion killed 2 BSF personnel and an Army jawan posted there while critically injuring 4 troops.

Since this drone attack, the BSF has also amped up its defences along the border with Pakistan.