DRONES
IAF
Special
India’s indigenous anti-drone system, developed by DRDO and manufactured by BEL. The system was deployed for VVIP protection duties during Republic Day and Independence Day.
DEFENCE AGAINST ATTACK BY ARMED DRONES The attack by an armed drone on the Indian Air Force (IAF) base in Jammu in June 2021, had brought the national focus on threat from drones
Photograph: BEL
By Air Marshal Anil Chopra (Retd) A strike by an American drone in the Afghan capital Kabul in the recent past, prevented another deadly suicide attack at the Kabul International Airport. The strike targeted a vehicle carrying at least one person associated with the Afghan branch of the Islamic State group. Earlier, Azerbaijan successfully used Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) in its war with Armenia. The United States (US) has been using drone strikes extensively against targets as part of the ‘War on Terror’. The attack by an armed drone on the Indian Air Force (IAF) base in Jammu in June 2021, had brought the national focus on threat
www.sps-aviation.com
from drones. The future is clearly unmanned and the world has been working to counter such threats. An unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), can carry ordnance such as missiles and bombs. Till now, most drones have been 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 threat from drones. The large ones can be engaged by the air defence systems meant for countering attack by aircraft. The smaller drones that are proliferating
ISSUE 9 • 2021
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