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Security personnel stand guard outside Jammu Airforce Station
NEW DELHI: Two days after the first-ever terror drone strike in the country at the Jammu air force station, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a top-level meeting on Tuesday to discuss a policy on the use of civil drones, `futuristic challenges’ in the defence sector and the need to suitably equip the military with modern equipment to tackle such threats.
The two-hour meeting with defence minister Rajnath Singh, home minister Amit Shah, national security advisor Ajit Doval and others, including civil aviation ministry officials, decided to fast-track “a comprehensive policy” on the use of drones by civilian operators in the country.
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1038 PTI file photo
The drone attack on Jammu’s IAF station on Sunday caught India’s security establishment off guard. This shouldn’t have been the case, considering that unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have emerged as a potent threat in recent years in the country and across the world. The use of drones by cross-border operators to drop arms and drugs in Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir is not uncommon. Terrorists have now taken things to the next level by dropping bombs through UAVs on one of India’s strategic installations. The timing of the attack days after the PM’s meeting with J&K leaders is also significant. Though there was no loss of life, the perpetrators’ message was loud and clear: it won’t be a one-off strike and the subsequent ones could be far worse in terms of the damage inflicted. Barely a day after the Jammu incident, Army troops spotted two drones hovering over the Ratnuchak-Kaluchak military area; they opened fire to force both of them to fly away
2171 Days before the drone attack on the Jammu air base, top officials in the armed forces and the Home Ministry had objected to any further opening up of the skies for civilian drone operations. File photo
Ajay Banerjee
New Delhi, June 28
Days before the drone attack on the Jammu air base, top officials in the armed forces and the Home Ministry had objected to any further opening up of the skies for civilian drone operations.
The use of drones by civilian operators came up for discussion last week during a meeting on Unmanned Aircraft System Rules, which came into effect on March 12. The rules allow flying of drones under certain conditions. There are 34 green zones in which drone operations are permitted after intimation about the time and location of flight.