In News:

The Border Security Force (BSF), India’s first line of defence, is collaborating with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to develop radar-mounted drones aimed at enhancing surveillance along India’s western and eastern borders. This initiative seeks to strengthen border security by providing persistent, high-accuracy monitoring of remote and difficult terrains without crossing international boundaries.

About Radar-Mounted Drones:

• Technology: Unmanned aerial systems equipped with compact radars capable of detecting moving targets, vehicles, or intruders.
• All-Weather Capability: Operates effectively in fog, darkness, rain, or adverse weather, unlike visual-only sensors.
• Real-Time Alerts: Provides immediate notifications, enabling rapid deployment of troops and timely response to border threats.
• Integrated Sensor Fusion: Potential to combine radar with infrared, high-resolution cameras, and ground sensors for enhanced detection.
• High Mobility and Scalability: Drones can be rapidly deployed in inaccessible areas, and multiple units can cover larger regions during crises.

Significance:

• The system is designed to overcome limitations of conventional border guarding, which relies on mobile soldiers or fixed towers and is effective only in limited areas.

• Radar-equipped drones can provide continuous day-and-night surveillance, monitor regions where permanent radars or outposts cannot be installed, and assist in controlling smuggling or infiltration attempts.
• The BSF, drawing experience from operations like ‘Operation Sindoor’, has also established a School of Drone Warfare at its Tekanpur Academy in Madhya Pradesh. In the coming months, the force plans to manufacture these radar-equipped drones in-house, further enhancing India’s technological edge in border security.
• This initiative exemplifies the growing role of technological interventions in modern border management, ensuring vigilance, rapid response, and comprehensive monitoring of India’s frontier regions.