Andhra Pradesh: TTD To Deploy DRDO’s Anti-Drone System To Protect Tirumala Temple

Soon, Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh may become the first temple to deploy anti drone technology to prevent any drone attacks.

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), a government appointed body which administers Tirumala temple, plans to deploy the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO) anti-drone technology.

After a drone attack on an air force base in Jammu in June, the DRDO arranged a demonstration of its anti-drone system at Kolar in Karnataka for all the three services on 6 July.

TTD vigilance and security wing chief, Gopinath Jatti, also attended the demonstration with the representatives of various police departments from across the country, reports The Times of India.

The DRDO system will involve attributes like detection, jamming and countermeasures to engage. It is likely to cost Rs 22 crore a piece if the purchase order is for 100 systems or more.

The system offers a detection capability of up to four kilometres with a "soft kill" option by way of radio frequency jamming which disables the communication. It also boasts of features like GPS spoofing-cum-jamming system which works on neutralising the remote locating system in a drone.

It should be noted that in a bid to scale up the production of the said system, DRDO is said to have roped in the Tatas, L&T and the Adani group as ToT (transfer of technology) partners for making this indigenously developed anti-drone system in the private sector. So far, state-owned Bharat Electronics Limited was the only entity designated to manufacture the system.

TTD manages Tirumala temple which is one of the richest Hindu temples in the world. With over 14,000 employees and an annual budget of almost Rs 3,000 crore, TTD is one of most influential Hindu institutions in the country that is under government control.