Tekanpur: Border Security Force (BSF) personnel are undergoing rigorous training to meet the new challenges of the battlefield. Meanwhile, the BSF has added drone warfare as a compulsory subject in its training program. Under this program, soldiers and officers will be taught how to handle drone warfare. The BSF has also established an innovation center to develop indigenous equipment.
The 270,000-strong BSF Officers Training Academy in Tekanpur, near Gwalior, has established a drone technology laboratory in collaboration with the Rustomjee Institute of Technology (RJIT). Rustomjee Institute of Technology is the only higher education institution run by the paramilitary force under the Union Home Ministry. Shamsher Singh, Director of the BSF Academy, said, “We have revised the training curriculum for soldiers and officers, and drone technology is now included as a compulsory subject. SOPs are being formalized. A drone school has been inaugurated as part of this initiative.” To make the force self-reliant with indigenously developed technology to address changing warfare patterns worldwide.
Director Shamsher Adhikari Singh stated that the BSF has brought together its various weapon and engineering workshops, centers, RJIT, and affiliated institutions. MoUs have also been signed with various IITs and government research organizations to develop a roadmap for the strategic use of drone technology within the border force.
In addition, the BSF Academy has established a Police Technology Innovation Center, partnering with its expert officers, industries, startups, academia, and innovators to address challenges in the internal security sector. This center will work on 48 identified problems, including drones, artificial intelligence, machine learning, surveillance, and smart mobility. An official stated that B.Tech students from RJIT are improving a specific area in their laboratory to better utilize drones for surveillance, defense, and strategic warfare.
BSF personnel trained at drone school
The BSF’s drone school has recently trained the first batch of approximately 45 personnel in the Drone Commando and Drone Warrior courses, and they have returned to the border. The second batch is undergoing training. An instructor at the center stated that the aim is to train approximately 500 personnel annually. This number will be gradually increased.
He said that the Drone Commando course is for soldiers and junior-level officers, while the Drone Warrior capsule is for officers who will plan and oversee such operations during peace and war. BSF personnel are being trained in theory and practical training in drone flying, anti-drone operations, and tactical deployment of the technology.
Officials stated that approximately ₹20 crore has been sanctioned to purchase gadgets, equipment, and simulators for the new school. The BSF developed the tutorials after studying the use of unmanned aerial platforms in warfare around the world.
