The National Security Guard (NSG) has deployed anti-drone systems at air force stations in Srinagar and Jammu to counter drone attacks, MA Ganapathy, director general of the specialized commando force, said on Saturday.
The systems have detected a few drones in recent months and alerted the relevant agencies in time, according to people familiar with the development.
The development comes against the backdrop of the two drone attack on Jammu Air Base on June 27, in which two unmanned aerial vehicles across the border dropped two improvised bombs on the base, damaging part of the building. The Resistance Front, an offshoot of the Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist group, is believed to be behind the attack.
Since then, the government has held a series of meetings with various agencies, private companies and the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) to install robust anti-drone systems along the western border. The Srinagar and Jammu Indian Air Force (IAF) stations are classified as “sensitive” facilities.
The federal commando force is improving its counterterrorism profile and preparing for emerging security challenges, Ganapathy said on the 37th NSG lift day on Saturday. “The NSG has been deployed to IAF stations in Srinagar and Jammu to provide security cover to the facilities against drone attacks, and this system is working successfully.”
The deployment will continue until full-fledged counter-drone weapons and gadgets are available at those two bases, people told HT on condition of anonymity.
The NSG has an array of anti-drone equipment, radars, jammers and drone killer guns that keep the perimeter secure, Ganapathy said. Shortly after the drone attack on the Jammu base, an NSG technical surveillance team was dispatched to the station, which deployed its equipment there, he said.
The NSG bomb disposal team also successfully intercepted so-called tiffin bombs sent by drones across the border, Ganapathy said.
Indian agencies have noticed that a large number of drones are used by the Pakistani military and terrorist groups to drop these tiffin bombs on Indian territory, which are then picked up by sleeper cells or ground workers in prohibited outfits. The NIA is investigating several Tiffin bombings in the Punjab.
Junior Interior Minister Nityanand Rai, present at the lifting day as the main guest, congratulated the commando force, also known as the Black Cats, for its operations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has put in place an independent security policy for the country, the minister said.
The NSG was established as a federal counterterrorism force in 1984 to undertake commando operations to neutralize terrorist and hijacking threats. It also provides armed security blanket to at least 13 high-risk VIPs.
