With modern wars going aerial, BSF adopts new drone warfare strategies

The Border Security Force has said that drone technology and aerial dimensions have become decisive elements of modern warfare, noting that conflicts worldwide — from Russia-Ukraine to Israel-Palestine — show how adversaries are increasingly exploiting the airspace.

India witnessed a similar tactic during Operation Sindoor in May, when Pakistan attempted to utilise aerial platforms for cross-border activities, Shashank Anand, BSF Inspector General, Jammu Frontier, told mediapersons, flanked by BSF DIGs Vikram Kunwar and Kulwant Rai Sharma.

“The BSF and other agencies are tackling the challenge of drones. We are increasing our capabilities, and we hope to be even more successful in the next year,” IG Anand said.

He said drone and anti-drone innovations are in a continuous process of research and development, with the BSF working closely with its industry partners.

“The future conflicts or cross-border firing incidents will inevitably have a strong aerial component, making counter-drone preparedness a top priority,” he said.

The BSF has been dealing with drone-based threats since 2019, when cross-border smuggling through unmanned aerial vehicles began in Punjab, the IG said.

In response, the force has upgraded training, procured advanced counter-drone systems and ensured round-the-clock monitoring without disrupting civilian air traffic, he said.

To strengthen its technological edge, the BSF has set up two drone forensic laboratories – the Central Drone Forensic Laboratory in Delhi and another in Amritsar – which analyse recovered drones and provide actionable intelligence to the investigating agencies, the officer said.

The force has also established the School of Drone Warfare in Gwalior, signing MoUs with IIT-Delhi, IIT-Chennai and the KF Hussain RJIT engineering institute to train students and force personnel for emerging aerial security challenges.

The IG said that in all the recent wars worldwide, including the brief India-Pakistan conflict in May, the countries involved tried to exploit the aerial dimension in their own way.

The focus of the BSF is on how to keep the border population and those in the hinterland safe during any future conflict, he said.

“A lot of work is being done on this. The government has also announced that community bunkers will be increased in the border areas of Jammu and Kashmir,” IG Anand said.

The force is working with the civil administration on the issue of border bunkers and has conveyed a message that “we will make every effort to keep our country and our border areas safe”, he said.

For international security, the IG said, the forces must remain alert, as anti-national elements always look for any shortcomings to exploit the situation in their favour.

DIG Sharma said the force is gradually moving from border guarding to border management.

“Since we have been entrusted with this task, we not only have to ensure the physical security of the people, but their social and economic security as well. If you look at the whole scenario, the ability to connect with the border population is constantly increasing. We are constantly standing with each other,” he said.

Highlighting the various achievements of the BSF in 2025, Kunwar said the force is manning approximately 200 km of the International Border (IB) with Pakistan across the Jammu region, and is also deployed along the Line of Control (LC) alongside the Indian Army.

“The BSF Jammu played a key role in Operation Sindoor, while simultaneously facing multiple challenges emanating from Pakistan, including cross-border firing, infiltration attempts, narcotics smuggling, and drone operations.

“True to its tradition, BSF Jammu effectively thwarted all such adversarial attempts, foiled nefarious designs, and contributed significantly to the success of Operation Sindoor,” DIG Sharma said.

The key achievements of BSF Jammu in Operation Sindoor include foiling a major infiltration bid from the Pakistan village of Dhandar opposite Samba, neutralising seven terrorists, and the destruction of three launchpads (Bhaironath, Mastpur, Looni) and engagement of 118 Pakistani posts, the officers said.

The key operational achievements include neutralisation of three Pakistani intruders and the apprehension of six others along the International Border in the Jammu sector, they said.

The BSF troops also seized 9.563 kg of narcotics and apprehended five drug peddlers during the year, besides recovering five drones, they added.