Abhinand New Delhi: The drone strike by Pakistani terrorists on a Jammu air force base is posing a new challenge to India's security arr...
Abhinand
New Delhi: The drone strike by Pakistani terrorists on a Jammu air force base is posing a new challenge to India's security arrangements. Terrorists, on the other hand, have the opportunity to carry out unprovoked, low-cost attacks against India.
It is believed that the terrorists targeted the helipad at the base and the helicopters that were there. Pakistan has been using drones to deliver weapons and drugs to Indian soil for some time. India has understood this and has defended itself. However, the inability of radars to detect drones flying too low poses a serious security threat.
Finding drones is a complicated matter. The way to detect drones is through careful surveillance, the use of radar systems and the use of optical sensors. The RF-monitoring system cannot detect pre-programmed or satellite-operated drones. Therefore, it is not easy to monitor them.
Even if the drone is detected by radar, it is not easy to retaliate. Obstacles include their small size, ability to fly low, and fears that if they carry explosives, it will fall into populated areas. Setting up an advanced optical sensor system is also expensive.Setting up an optical sensor system on the 3,200 km Pakistan border is not easy. Although Lashkar-e-Taiba has used small drones to smuggle weapons and explosives across the Line of Control, this is the first time it has carried out a terrorist attack using this technology.
Since 2003, Pakistan has been trying to use drones against India. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had found that Ali Azad Chandi, a Lahore - born Maryland resident of the United States, had helped Pakistan in the case. He also helped Lashkar-e-Taiba to buy drones, night vision equipment and wireless video cameras.
Last year, Iranian-backed rebels launched a similar attack on Saudi Arabia's oil production facilities. Saudi Arabia, which has developed some of the most advanced air defense technology with US assistance, was also caught up in the move.
But the unanswered question is how far such a system can be set up on such a long border. It is also a matter of concern that there are hundreds of security centers including army bases in Jammu and Kashmir alone.
India has deployed drone surveillance systems since 2015. It is also capable of separating the communication between the drones and their handlers. The system can also mislead drones with signals from the Spoofed Global Positioning System.
Military radars are designed to detect larger and more conventional aircraft and missiles. The drone was not a threat when they were designed.
The United States faced a similar threat posed by Islamic State in 2015. By eliminating terrorist centers and experts the US successfully overcame the issue. That is how the Islamic State attacks came to an end. The way America saw it was by breaking down the system, not the technology, to launch them. It is not easy for India to turn to such a path.
India and Pakistan are preparing for a ceasefire on the border after months of secret talks. If India escalates another offensive across the border, there will be another breach of the peace. Conflict along the Pak border will double the workload and pressure on the Indian Army as it needs to pay attention to the Chinese border.
Observers say Pakistan's new moves are aimed at undermining India's resumption of the democratic process in Jammu and Kashmir.
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