The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by our adversaries across the borders to ferry arms/ammunitions, drugs, etc., is a serious threat to the internal security. Comment on the measures being taken to tackle this threat.
Approach · directive: “comment”
What it asks · Explain why cross-border drones are a distinct internal-security threat and comment on the technological, legal and operational measures against them.
It asks 2 things — answer each
- Establish why cross-border drones are a serious internal-security threat
- Comment on the measures being taken (technological, operational, regulatory, legal and diplomatic) and their adequacy
Open with · Cheap, low-flying drones now ferry arms, heroin and cash across the Punjab and Jammu borders, slipping past the fence and the patrol; in the three years to June 2023, 53 drones carrying arms or narcotics were recovered in Punjab alone (MHA, August 2023).
Cover
- Threat: payloads of arms, explosives and heroin feed terror modules and narco-networks; the June 2021 drone attack on the Jammu air force station showed offensive use; a cheap drone bypasses an expensive fence.
- Technology: DRDO-BEL D4 counter-drone system (detection, tracking, soft or hard kill); anti-drone systems in Punjab and, since 2024, Rajouri and Poonch.
- Operations: BSF round-the-clock domination, anti-rogue-drone SOP, joint intelligence with Punjab Police, village vigilance.
- Regulation: Drone Rules 2021, Digital Sky single window, red-yellow-green airspace map, registration.
- Law and diplomacy: UAPA, Arms Act, NDPS Act; the issue raised with Pakistan at border-force meetings.
- Gaps: patchy detection on a long border; cheaper, autonomous drones; counter-drone grids, manpower and R&D must scale.
Close with · A layered defence of detection, neutralisation, regulation and intelligence, built on indigenous systems such as D4, is how the border sky is sealed as firmly as the border fence.
Add value (verified)
- MHA (PIB, 1 August 2023): 53 incidents of recovery of drones used to smuggle arms or narcotics across the Punjab border in three years to 30 June 2023.PIB release, Ministry of Home Affairs, 'Smuggling of arms and narcotics' (1 August 2023), text as mirrored by GlobalSecurity.org ↗“In last three years and till 30th June, 2023, 53 incidents of recovery of drones involved in smuggling of Arms/Narcotics have been detected.”
- MHA (PIB, 1 August 2023): anti-drone systems deployed in Punjab's border areas and an anti-rogue-drone SOP circulated to field units.PIB release, Ministry of Home Affairs, 'Smuggling of arms and narcotics' (1 August 2023), text as mirrored by GlobalSecurity.org ↗“Anti-drone systems have been deployed in border areas of Punjab to counter the drone threats. Further, an anti-rogue drone SOP has been formulated and circulated to field units and is being followed.”
- PIB (January 2022): Drone Rules 2021 run on the Digital Sky single-window platform with an airspace map of red, yellow and green zones.PIB backgrounder on the drone ecosystem and Drone Rules 2021 (January 2022) ↗“Digital sky platform being developed as a user-friendly online single-window system. There will be minimal human interface and most permissions will be self-generated. • Interactive drone airspace map with red and yellow zones shall be displayed. • No permission required for operating drones in green zones.”
- Department of Defence Production: the DRDO-BEL D4 Counter Drone System detects, tracks and neutralises micro and small UAVs by soft or hard kill.Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence: Anti-Drone System (D4) ↗“The Counter Drone System (D4 System) is capable of performing real time search, detection, tracking and neutralization (Soft/ Hard Kill) of the flying drones (Micro/Small UAVs)”
- News On AIR (12 March 2024): the Army and BSF deployed anti-drone systems in Rajouri and Poonch.News On AIR (Prasar Bharati), 12 March 2024: Army and BSF deploy state-of-art anti-drone systems in border districts of Rajouri and Poonch ↗“the Army and Border Security Force (BSF) have deployed state-of-the-art anti-drone systems in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch.”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2023, GS Paper III — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer· 223words · Minimalist IAS
Cheap, low-flying drones ferry arms, heroin and cash across the Punjab and Jammu borders, past fence and patrol; in three years to June 2023, 53 drones carrying arms or narcotics were recovered in Punjab alone (MHA, August 2023).
Why a serious internal-security threat
- Payloads: arms, explosives and heroin feed terror modules and narco-networks; the June 2021 drone attack on Jammu air force station showed offensive use.
- Asymmetry: a cheap drone beats an expensive fence; small, low flights evade radar.
Measures being taken
- Technology: DRDO-BEL's D4 counter-drone system detects, tracks and neutralises drones by soft or hard kill; anti-drone systems guard Punjab and, since 2024, Rajouri-Poonch.
- Operations: BSF domination through patrols, nakas and observation posts, an anti-rogue-drone SOP, joint intelligence with Punjab Police.
- Regulation: the Drone Rules 2021 route permissions through the Digital Sky single window and map red, yellow and green zones.
- Law and diplomacy: prosecution under UAPA, the Arms Act and NDPS Act; raised with Pakistan at border-force meetings.
- Detect (radar, RF)
- Track (optical, thermal)
- Neutralise (jam, shoot)
- Investigate
- Prosecute
Assessment and way forward
- Gaps: detection is patchy along a long border; drones grow cheaper and more autonomous; counter-drone grids, manpower and R&D must scale faster.
A layered defence of detection, neutralisation, regulation and intelligence, built on indigenous systems such as D4, can seal the border sky as firmly as the fence.
Prepared by Minimalist IAS to the answer standard of Shivam Singh (mentor, 7 years) · facts checked against official sources (how we verify) · updated 3 Oct 2026. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.
