Drone terror attack on Jammu base: dangerous new turning point
- Posted By
10Pointer
- Categories
Polity & Governance
- Published
2nd Jul, 2021
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Context
The recent drone strikes at the Indian Air Force Station in Jammu and subsequent sightings of drones close to military stations have set alarm bells ringing.
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Background
- A drone attack was conducted on the Jammu Air Force Station on June 27.
- It was the first such instance of suspected Pakistan-based terrorists deploying unmanned aerial vehicles to strike at vital installations.
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Analysis
What is a drone?
- A drone refers to an unpiloted aircraft or spacecraft.
- A drone is also called an “unmanned aerial vehicle” or UAV. So, simply put, a drone is a flying robot.
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UAVs in India
- Heron: In March this year, the Indian Army leased four Heron unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from Israel.
- Heron is the medium-altitude long endurance UAVs.
- Ghatak UCAV: The indigenously produced Ghatak UCAV is expected to make its maiden flight next year.
- DRDO Ghatak is an autonomous stealthy unmanned combat air vehicle.
- Rustom: The indigenous tactical surveillance UAV Rustom also seems ready for induction into the army.
- Rustom is a Medium Altitude Long Endurance unmanned air vehicle.
- It is being developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation for the three services, Indian Army, Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force of the Indian Armed Forces
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What are the rules on drones in India?
- The Ministry of Civil Aviation recently notified the Unmanned Aircraft System Rules 2021 that govern the operation of drones and similar systems in India.
- Weight is the primary basis by which the rules classify drones vis-a-vis the specific rules governing their operation.
- Permission required from: Director General of Civil Aviation.
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Name
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Weight
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Permission
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Nano drones
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weigh less than or equal to 250gm
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No license or permit is needed to fly such drones
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Micro drones
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weighing more between 250gm and 2kg
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UAS Operator Permit-I (UAOP-I)
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Small drones
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can weigh more than 2kg but should not exceed 25kg
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UAS Operator Permit-I (UAOP-I)
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Medium drones
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can weigh between 25kg and 150kg
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UAS Operator Permit-II (UAOP-II)
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Large unmanned aircraft
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weigh more than 150kg
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UAS Operator Permit-II (UAOP-II)
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What are the checks and bans in the Rules?
Several checks and bans are built into the rules to prevent drones posing a security threat. For example-
- Return to home option: All drones have to mandatorily contain autonomous flight termination system or return to home (RTH) option.
- Geo-fencing system: All drones should also come with geo-fencing mechanism.
- Geo-fencing systems provide a means for restricting the movement of a drone for a real-world geographic location using the global positioning system (GPS) or radio frequency identification.
- No-permission-no takeoff: Further, all drones, except Nano models, will have to have a tamper-proof 'No Permission–No Takeoff (NPNT) mechanism.
- No-fly areas: There are also no-fly areas for drones that include airports, strategic locations, and the LoC with Pakistan and LAC with China, etc.
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Are UAVs the double-edged swords?
Positive side
- UAVs have myriad applications—from delivering pizzas, shooting films, inspecting pipelines and power lines to spraying crops and helping cartographers.
- UAVs have a wide variety of law enforcement application, including mapping crime scenes, providing aerial images, and 3D mapping of crash scenes.
Negative side
- But like most technologies, UAVs are also double-edged swords, finding use as powerful weapons and force multipliers for the armed forces.
- The military UAV umbrella includes everything from aero-models and decoys to reconnaissance and armed drones; some provide commanders with real-time battlefield data to direct fire, while others can carry out precision strikes on targets miles away using satellite guidance.
- In fact, the latter are slowly taking over a range of dangerous missions that were flown by combat pilots earlier.
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How UAVs have evolved over the years?
- First UAVs was used in World War II by
- Initially used as target drones (for training anti-aircraft gunners)
- Today, they have become the indispensable robotic air warriors.
- First modern UCAV appeared in the skies over the Golan Heights in 1973 during the Arab-Israeli war.
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Why is it a serious issue?
- Evade detection: Drones fly low, they escape detection by radars and interjection by air defence systems.
- Lack of effective policy: No universal policy to deal with rogue drones in the country.
- Underdeveloped capabilities: Indian drone and anti-drone capability is still work in progress.
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Deadly effects of drones
- Drones have been used with deadly effect, for example,
- Yemeni soil against the Saudi oil installations.
- They have also been used militarily with great success against the Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh by Turkey-supported Azerbaijani forces.
- The Chinese have used drones for aerial surveillance in Ladakh during the current stand-off.
- The Americans have used armed drones in Afghanistan and in Iraq to eliminate terrorists, and even a high-ranking serving military officer as in the case of the Iranian General Qasem Soleimani.
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Why terrorist are choosing drone technology?
- Acts of terrorism in India have been dominated by AK 47-wielding terrorists, fedayeen human bombs, and planting of IED. However, the scenario is changing.
- Safety for terrorists: Now, use of drones provides terrorists with maximum safety.
- Cheaper deal: Advances in technology have made the cost so low that it is cheaper than an AK-47.
- Easily available
- Can be easily modified for different purposes
Drone for terror
- In 2013, Al-Qaeda attempted drone attacks in Pakistan but failed
- In 2014, Islamic State used drones in Iraq and Syria
- Islamic State, Hezbollah, and Pakistan-based terror groups use drones for terrorism
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What immediate measures are required?
- Drone detection system.
- High-tech interception, strict regulation a must.
- UAV defences should be augmented with acquisition of detection technologies.
- The electronic warfare (EW) capabilities of the armed forces should be enhanced and these should be equipped with kinetic and directed energy kill systems on priority.
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Conclusion
The Jammu attack is a wake-up call for India to take stock of its limited UAV inventory. Though the drone used in the Jammu Air Force Station attack was a relatively less sophisticated one, but in future more potent drones with greater reach can be used. India needs to prepare itself for such attacks in future
