The Border Security Force has started deploying anti-drone guns along the Punjab border and Jammu region. At least 200 drones have been sighted along the border with Pakistan in the last two years.
Home Minister Amit Shah last week asked security forces to make India’s borders impossible to infiltrate.
“A few of the guns have been deployed and some are undergoing trials,” a senior Home Ministry officer told , asking not to be named.
The officer said both handheld and mobile guns that can be fixed on a vehicle roof are being tested.
“These gadgets act as a force multiplier for jawans deployed along border areas,” the officer said, adding the National Technical Research Organisation is working to detect the frequency that the drones use to contact their controllers, which can be jammed.
So far 107 drones have been spotted along the international border in Punjab and Jammu region; 97 were seen in the first seven months last year.
Home Ministry data shows drones came inside Indian territory in Jammu region at least 14 times between January and July this year.
“Seven drones have been shot down this year in Punjab by the BSF (Border Security Force). They were carrying drugs and weapons,” a BSF officer told.
Of the 97 drone sightings last year, 64 were seen in Punjab and 31 in Jammu region. Two drones were spotted along the Line of Control, or LoC, in Jammu sector.
The BSF guards 198 km of the 553-km-long international border and LoC with Pakistan.
The drone guns are 100 per cent made in India. We organised a hackathon where start-ups came with anti-tunnelling and anti-drone technologies. Some of them have been deployed on trial,” a senior BSF officer said.