Q. The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by our adversaries across the borders to ferry arms/ammunitions, drugs, etc., is a serious threat to the internal security. Comment on the measures being taken to tackle this threat.

Model Answer: 

Cross-border rogue UAVs have emerged as formidable asymmetric threats for state and non-state actors, exemplified by the 2021 Jammu Airbase attack.

Internal Security Threats from Cross-Border UAVs

• Narco-Terrorism: Smuggling high-grade narcotics (e.g., Punjab border drops) to finance militant networks.
• Weaponizing Insurgencies: Delivering IEDs, small arms, and sticky bombs to terror modules in J&K.
• Asymmetric Strikes: Utilizing low-cost, radar-evading armed payloads to target critical military infrastructure.
• Espionage: Conducting low-altitude airspace violations to map border troop deployments and patrol routes.

Measures Taken to Tackle the UAV Threat

• Anti-Drone Technologies: Deploying DRDO’s D-4 Anti-Drone System (providing laser hard-kill and RF jammer soft-kill capabilities) along volatile borders.
• Policy & Regulation: Implementing the National Counter Rogue Drone Guidelines (NCRDG) and strictly enforcing Drone Rules 2021.
• Dedicated Border Grids: BSF establishing specialized C-UAS (Counter Unmanned Aircraft System) nodes equipped with micro-doppler radars.
• Inter-Agency Synergy: Enhancing intelligence sharing and operational coordination between BSF, State Police, and the IAF.
• Vulnerability Mapping: Mandating strict “No-Fly Zones” (Red Zones) over strategic military and critical civilian installations.

Neutralizing this evolving threat requires aggressive indigenous R&D in directed-energy weapons (DEWs), AI-driven swarm drone countermeasures, and vigilant border community policing.