Drone warfare in BSF syllabus: What training covers; why UAVs matter

Border Security Force (BSF) on Sunday said it has made drone warfare a compulsory part of its training after Operation Sindoor. The force is also developing its own tools for modern combat.

“We have revised the training curriculum. Drone technology is now mandatory. A drone school has also been started so the force can rely on indigenous solutions for modern warfare,” said Shamsher Singh, director of the BSF academy.


It was earlier reported that the Border Security Force (BSF) is raising its first drone squadron to counter increasing aerial threats. According to PTI, sources confirmed that the new drone squadron will be stationed at BoPs spanning the more than 2,000-km India-Pakistan border across Jammu, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Gujarat. Each drone team will consist of 2-3 trained personnel.
What's BSF's Drone training

• A drone squadron and a school of drone warfare have been set up by the BSF.
• BSF’s Tekanpur academy in Madhya Pradesh has set up a drone technology lab at RJIT.
• A Police Technology Innovation Centre, involving officers, startups, industries and researchers.
• The centre is focusing on 48 problem areas such as drones, artificial intelligence, surveillance and mobility.
• The first batch of 45 personnel has completed training in two new courses: Drone Commando (for jawans) and junior ranks, Drone Warriors (for officers).
• The second batch is under training, with a target to train about 500 personnel annually.
• Courses include theory, hands-on flying, anti-drone tactics and technology deployment.
• Around Rs 20 crore has been sanctioned for new gadgets, equipment and simulators.
• Training modules draw from recent global conflicts like the Russia-Ukraine war and strategies used by the US, China, Turkiye and Pakistan.
• Officials say BSF’s drone units may be integrated with armed forces’ assets during wartime.
• The force has also signed MoUs with IITs and government institutes to build a long-term strategy.

UAVs- future of combat
During Operation Sindoor, launched in May after the Pahalgam terror attack killed 26 people, India faced drone strikes and loitering munitions which were simply swatted out of the sky while the rest were repelled by army air defence (AD) units.

Speaking in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, chief of defence staff general Anil Chauhan stressed the importance of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and the need for India to build its own counter-drone technology.

“When we talk about drones, we must ask, are they bringing an evolutionary change or a revolutionary change in warfare?” he said. “I believe their development has been evolutionary, but their use has been revolutionary. As we realised their scope, the army began deploying drones in a revolutionary way. You have seen this in several wars fought by us,” Chauhan said at a defence workshop in Delhi in July.

Eighteen BSF personnel were awarded gallantry medals for their role, including two posthumously for displaying courage during Operation Sindoor.

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