Days after Jammu attack, Indian Air Force begins process to acquire 10 anti-drone systems

The IAF will deploy these systems at different airbases and has asked vendors to provide a multi-sensor, multi-kill solution to enforce effectively.

New Delhi: Days after terrorists used armed drones to attack its airbase in Jammu, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has initiated a process of acquiring 10 counter unmanned aircraft systems (CUAS).

According to news agency ANI, a formal Request for Information (RFI) has been issued by the IAF on Monday for the project. As per sources, the main weapon of the ‘Made in India’ anti-drone system should be a Laser-based Directed Energy Weapon.

The IAF will deploy these drone systems at different airbases and has asked vendors to provide a multi-sensor, multi-kill solution to enforce effectively.

"No- Fly zones for unmanned aircraft while inflicting minimal collateral damage to the surrounding environment. It should generate a composite air situational picture for the operator and generate alerts based on user-defined parameters," the RFI said.

In a bid to use the drone systems across its bases, the IAF has mandated that all the ten CUAS are required in mobile configuration mounted on indigenous vehicles with cross-country capability. 

The CUAS should have provision for dismounting of all sub-systems including integral power solution from the vehicle and mounting on roof top/ open ground.

Two drones had been used by the terrorists to drop bombs on the Jammu airbase, causing damage to a building and causing injury to two personnel. The probe into the attack is being conducted by the National Investigation Agency. 

Meanwhile, J&K DGP Dilbag Singh has said that Pakistan-based terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) are behind the dropping of arms, IEDs and narcotics by drones in Jammu and Kashmir recently.

Singh also warned that the ongoing counter-insurgency operations would be further speeded up to wipe out terrorism, while efforts are on to further strengthen security arrangements to counter the threat posed by the drones, especially in the aftermath of the recent attack on the Indian Air Force base in Jammu.

Recently, a drone was spotted in the residential area of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad over the weekend. The matter was raised by the Indian side with Pakistan. Lodging a strong protest, New Delhi had raised security concerns with Islamabad regarding the suspicious drone movement.