Border Security Force (BSF) is raising its first-ever drone squadron for deployment along the India-Pakistan border while simultaneously fortifying its outposts and defences against deadly UAV attacks.
The squadron, which will be based in specific border outposts (BoPs) at this front, will comprise an assortment of reconnaissance, surveillance, and attack drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and specially-trained personnel who know how to operate these machines. The BSF is primarily in charge of protecting the international border between India and Pakistan.
According to sources, the squadron will be managed from a control room at the BSF's Chandigarh western command headquarters. Following Operation Sindoor, a recent assessment of the force's threats, vulnerabilities, and strengths led to the decision to establish this unit. Operation Sindoor was India's reply to the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 innocent unarmed people. Carried out on 7 May, BSF actively participated in the operation, coordinating with the other armed forces.
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BSF’s drone squadron will be stationed at select Border Outposts (BOPs) along the over 2,000-km-long India-Pakistan border, which stretches from Jammu in the north to Punjab, Rajasthan, and Gujarat in the west. According to sources in the security establishment, the squadron will include a mix of small and large drones for surveillance, reconnaissance, and attack missions. These drones will be deployed during regular operations or in high-tension situations like the one witnessed during Operation Sindoor.
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.
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Learning lessons from the 10 May drone attack, BSF 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. The roofs and walls of the BOP bunkers are being strengthened using alloy sheets. Some more measures are being taken to fortify the posts that are vulnerable to drone attacks, sources said, as they refused to elaborate, citing operational confidentiality.
The force is in contact with defence research and intelligence agencies to place counter-drone machines at specific border posts in order to neutralise "rogue or armed drones" that are flying in from the other side of the border, according to a BSF officer stationed along this front.
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