Drones are a reality: Time for India to prepare for security challenges

New Delhi: Ayman al-Zawahiri, Al-Qaeda leader, was killed in a US drone strike in early August 2022. On 3 January 2020, Qasem Soleimani, an Iranian major general, was killed by a US drone strike at Baghdad International Airport. A major terror plot by Pakistan’s ISI was averted by the Special Operations Group (SOG) and Jammu police after they recovered a consignment of arms and ammunition dropped by a Pakistani drone along the International Border in the RS Pura Sector in Jammu district in February 2022. The US has been extensively using drone strikes against targets as part of the ‘War on Terror’. The drone attack on the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Jammu airbase late June 2021, had brought the national focus on threats from drones. The future is clearly unmanned. The world has been working to counter such threats.

An unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) can carry ordnance such as missiles/bombs. Till now, most drones are usually under real-time human control, however, Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology now supports greater levels of flight and decision-making autonomy. There are various ways of tackling the drone threat. The large ones can be engaged by the air defences, as meant for aircraft. The smaller hobbyist drones that are proliferating across the world pose a different kind of threat and need a different defence approach.

Typical Drone Attack Modalities

Two small-bomb-laden drones were crashed into installations at Jammu airbase in June 2021. One exploded in the open area and second created a hole in the roof of an office building causing minimal damage. Jammu airfield is just 13.5 km from the Pakistan border. The drone may have been launched from Pakistani territory or by some operative in India. There were IAF Mi-17 helicopters and high-end UAVs at the airbase. None was hit. The fact that a military installation was targeted was of concern. More drones have been sighted in the area ever since. Pakistan has used drones in the past to smuggle drugs and arms in Punjab and Jammu regions. The number of incidents have been on the rise.

A drone attack is like any military operation. It requires good target intelligence, accurate target coordinates, and pictures of the desired impact point. Such information can be obtained from reconnaissance satellites or just from open sources. A drone can be programmed for an autonomous attack and could fly into the target and explode. Alternatively, the operative could fly the drone using a data link. The feed from the drone camera could help with final targeting.

Unmanned Military Platforms

UAVs are gradually taking over all the roles that were once flown by manned aerial platforms. These include reconnaissance, logistic support, and aerial refuelling and weapon delivery, among others. Many aircraft, including the F-16 have been converted into an unmanned variant. Many future aircraft are planned to be optionally manned. Large military drones could fly at very high altitude and have long endurance. The Dull, Dirty, or Dangerous missions are usually assigned to UAVs. Dull would mean long boring reconnaissance missions. Dirty missions are those flown in nuclear, biological or chemical environments. Dangerous missions are into areas of high air defence environments. Nowadays, drones are also flown in coordinated swarms, to attack or to saturate enemy defences. These could also be flown as a manned-unmanned team, with a manned aircraft coordinating and controlling a large number of drones in the package.

Civilian Applications and Hobbyist Drones

Small hobbyist aerial drones are an off-the-shelf item sold openly. As per classification, small drones could carry between 2 to 25 kg loads. Such drones could be used for many day-to-day activities, such as delivery of essentials. Drones are used to supply medicines to remote locations. Drones are great for aerial photography. They are also used by government departments for policing, coastal and airport security, monitoring fires, surveys, and many other activities. It can be seen that like the internet, satellite navigation, mobile telephony, drones are permeating in every walk of life. Instead of knee-jerk reactions to possible drone threats, ways have to be found through regulations to co-exist.

Three-Step Approach

Countering any airborne threat involves three steps; detection, identification and destruction. Any drone crossing into the country across the border must be treated as hostile. Similarly, drones flying near designated sensitive installations, or no-drone-flying zones need to be neutralised immediately. All other drones need to be managed through a drone policy, licensing and regulations. Rules of the air have to be spelt out and enforced.

Detection Complexities

Small drones have very low radar cross section (RCS), and are difficult to detect by conventional radar. They also have low acoustic signature, and may be heard only when already very near. Drones also have no, or low, smoke or infra-red (IR) signature. Detection would thus be delayed. There are some avian radars designed to detect birds at airports. These have a range of 15-20 kilometres and used mainly to check the aircraft approach path for bird activities. These radars do have limitations in built up areas. Having such radars for all sensitive installations is not a practical cost-effective solution. Drones can be stored and carried in a small suitcase, as such, to search and find is not easy. Since drones could be flown from roof tops or from small alleys, tracking launching locations is difficult.

Declaring a Drone Hostile

The first step is to clearly spell out the criteria and conditions for declaring a drone hostile. The drone no fly zones have to be stipulated. These could be important government buildings, military installations, nuclear installations, oil refineries, sensitive industries, take-off and landing approach funnels at airports, select dams and bridges, among others. Any unauthorised drone over these is to be treated as hostile.

Neutralising a Drone

Once declared hostile, a drone can be neutralised by various kinetic and non-kinetic means. It can be shot using a rifle or other small arms. There are anti-drone guns that fire a net to entangle and bring down the drone. Lasers or other forms of directed energy weapons could burn or blind the drone electronics and optical systems. This energy could also trigger the warhead explosion. Electronic warfare techniques could jam the data/control links. The drone GPS receiver could also be jammed. Blinding the drone camera would also greatly reduce its capability. The drone swarms are also a real threat. Mass jamming of the interconnecting data-links, and barrage of directed energy are a good counter. A cyber-attack on the ground station is also an option. Also a counter-drone swarm can engage a drone swarm. There are thus many ways to neutralise drones.

Drone Policy and Regulation

To facilitate and support drone operations, policies and regulations should be put in place. The drones are first categorised by weight, range and altitude envelopes. Any drone policy must thus facilitate use of drones, albeit, in a regulated manner. No flight permission may be required up to a certain height. Like the rules of the air, there would have to be regulations and control, to prevent collision, and cater to emergency situations. There could be mandatory take-off clearance for flight above a height or in some zones. No-fly zones may be promulgated. Real-time tracking beacon, and geo-fencing may be desirable.

The Drone Rules, 2021 were released by India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation last year. More recently they have made major changes to drone laws, and the government has passed Drone (Amendment) Rules, 2022 which states that remote pilot certificate (earlier it was called license) will not be required for flying small to medium size drones of up to 2kg for non-commercial purposes. The certification requirement has been spelt out. Drones can’t be flown in a manner that they endanger the safety and security of any person or property. The drones must have a unique identification number, and be registered like we register arms. The remote pilot licence should be a mandatory requirement for larger drones. Drone traffic management would require regulation. There would be a need for insurance for third party damage to life and/or property caused by a drone.

Drones: Here We Come India

The future is unmanned. On 8 August 2022, the Drone Federation of India (DFI), an industry body for the country’s UAVs, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indian Army’s Design Bureau (ADB) for “accelerating drone technology development and indigenisation in the drone ecosystem". All three armed forces and most government departments are acquiring drones. India must promote research and development of drones and unmanned systems to remain globally relevant. Nearly 1,000 drone swarms were flown during the Beating of Retreat in January 2022.

As India becomes drone friendly, there is a need to strengthen regulation and control over drones. Air defence procedures have to be evolved. More no-fly zones may be designated to make important installations safer. Sensors and weapons against drones are integrated like the IAF’s Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS). With the proliferation of drones, inter-ministerial coordination would be important. Local police and Intelligence Bureau (IB) will have to monitor drones more closely. The police and security personnel are educated and trained to respond to drone transgressions. An anti-drone force may be created one day.

The national drone policy would need continuous evolution, using global interactions and inputs. To counter the risk of embedded malware in drone electronic sensors, there is a need for greater indigenisation of both platforms and sensors. Drones are the future, and India must follow a facilitative proactive approach, yet be conscious of security implications.

The writer is Director General, Centre for Air Power Studies. Views expressed are personal.

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