Indian Army Deploys Indigenous Anti-Drone System Along China Border To Counter Unmanned Aerial Threats

The Indian Army has inducted the initial batch of seven new indigenous Integrated Drone Detection and Interdiction Systems (IDD&IS) for use along the northern borders with China.

These systems are designed to counteract unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) through both jamming (soft kills) and lasers (hard kills).

With a detection range of 5 to 8 kilometers, the IDD&IS can jam drones within 2 to 5 kilometers and effectively destroy them at over 800 meters.

Developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Bharat Electronics, these systems are the first batch of Mark-1 variants inducted by the Army Air Defence, Times of India reported.

The future versions of the IDD&IS will feature enhanced interception ranges.

The current systems are adept at detecting drones with low radar cross-sections and neutralising them through integrated soft and hard kill capabilities.

The recent conflicts in Armenia-Azerbaijan and Russia-Ukraine have highlighted the strategic importance of drones, prompting the Indian armed forces to acquire a broad spectrum of UAVs from both domestic and international sources.

There is an equal emphasis on inducting different kinds of effective counter-drone systems, ranging from jamming, spoofing and blinding systems to disrupt the satellite or video command-and-control links of drones to laser-based DEWs.

The armed forces have already inked several contracts for them, and more are in the pipeline.

The IAF had recently floated initial tenders for 10 kamikaze drones-based anti-swarm drone systems, 10 mobile micro munitions-basedd anti-swarm drone systems and 100-200 vehicle-mounted C-UAS (counter unmanned aircraft systems).

Despite previous delays in drone and counter-drone development, India is progressing with the procurement of anti-drone systems equipped with lasers ranging from 2-kilowatt to 10-kilowatt power levels.

Furthermore, DRDO is advancing in the development of DEWs, aiming to achieve power levels of 30-50 kilowatts as part of a strategic roadmap targeting enhancements in range, precision, and operational efficiency of these weapons.

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