The Indian Army has deployed `Swarm Drones’ along the borders with Pakistan and China to protect the sovereignty of the nation. These drones will help the Indian Army to gather intelligence which helps the troops on the ground to thwart potential dangers.
According to sources in the defence and security establishment, “In the recent times there has been an increase in drones’ related incidents along the borders of the country and there is an urgent need to deal with these. And for us the biggest threat remains Pakistan.” Pakistan has been using drones to inflict damage on India, and battlefield innovation and adaptation are signatures of terrorist groups operating out of Pakistan. And they have been using commercially available platforms to integrate into weapons and to wage deadly guerrilla-war campaigns against the Indian Army which is technologically advanced.
More about Swarm Drones
These according to experts are considered to be a force multiplier in military operations, where these can be used in either offensive or in defensive roles. And can help by providing tactical commanders with a force multiplier.
The Indian Army has, as already reported, initiated a Make-II case for Autonomous Surveillance and Armed Drone Swarm (A-SADS). These will be used for High Altitude Areas with a number of improvements.
How do Swarm Drones work?
They are actually directed by their human controllers towards the target. But with the rapid advancement in Artificial Intelligence, and machine learning algorithms, the human hand will no longer be required to control these and these will instead be making their own decisions.
There is an AI based Automatic Target Recognition feature which helps in enabling the drones to recognize the targets automatically – humans, guns, vehicles, tanks and it will be displayed on the control station screen. This not only minimises the chances of the operator missing any target, but also makes it easy for an engagement by suitable type of weapon platform.
These drones can be used for various tasks including undertaking close recce of a particular area to confirm inputs received from other Surveillance, Intelligence and Reconnaissance resources, engage different targets like air defence equipment, artillery, enemy command & control centers and opportunities.
Such drones have been used in different situations including carrying out strikes on oilfields in Saudi Arabia — Saudi Aramco oil processing facilities at Abqaiq and Khurais in eastern part of that country; the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, in Armenia and Azerbaijan conflict and in Syria.
In 2018, a Chinese designed DJI unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) which had explosives strapped to it was according to reports used in a failed assassination attempt on the president of South American nation Venezuela.
Inspired by the swarm of insects, these drones can work in a unified manner to cause damage to the enemy, and these are soon going to revolutionize future battles.
How to counter Swarm Drone Tactics?
While they need to operate together they cannot get into each other’s path and though they are cheap they are smart enough to carry out the task. According to experts they need a long flight range to be effective otherwise their launch systems could be easily destroyed before they are able to launch their payloads.