New Delhi: At least 10 of India’s busiest airports will get dedicated anti-drone systems by the end of 2026. These will include airports in the metro cities as well as those jointly operated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Indian Air Force (IAF).
India has learnt a lesson from Operation Sindoor, during which Pakistan sent thousands of drones towards Indian civilian infrastructure, including airports. While these drones were effectively destroyed by Indian security forces, authorities have now realised the threat from random attacks that could cripple operations for days.
Plans have already begun for Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, the country’s busiest, sources said. AAI got into the act after directives from the Union home and civil aviation ministries.
Jagran.com has quoted sources as saying that the Delhi and Mumbai airports already have some basic-level systems. However, these are not adequate to deal with the threat.
A thorough study is set to be conducted to look at the viable places where the system can be installed. Discussions are also underway on the specific “componenting” of these systems based on the requirem
ents of different airports.
Anti-drone systems installed at major airports across the world are being studied and the procurement process will start once the requirements have been assessed. Indian companies, including start-ups, will also play a major role in this.
Fending off drone attacks on an airport is complicated business as the tracking systems have to segregate the unmanned aerial vehicles from flights taking off and coming in to land. Such flights are at low altitude, just as drones are.
“Detecting the drones is the major challenge that will involve technologies like special radars, cameras, and radio frequency sensors. Once successfully detected, these systems use a host of countermeasure manoeuvres such as jamming, cyber takeover to disable the drone. The systems also use acoustic sensors that can detect the sound of the propellers of these drones,” an official said.
Systems that are operational across the world also comes fitted with a detection software that helps it to differentiate whether the approaching object is a drone, a bird or an aircraft. Post detection it continuously tracks the speed, direction and location of the object to chalk out a strategic path as well as monitor the object.
AAI, meanwhile, has banned the flying of drones within a 5 km radius of the IGI Airport in Delhi. The Delhi Police have been asked to maintain a strict lookout for any drones being flown within the restricted area.
In addition to this, anybody who flies a drone in Delhi, even beyond the restricted area, requires clearance from AAI.