J&K IAF bases guarded against drones: NSG DG
THE PROVIDES ARMED SECURITY COVER TO AT LEAST 13 HIGH-RISK VIPS.
NEW DELHI : The National Security Guard (NSG) has deployed anti-drone systems at Srinagar and Jammu air force stations to counter drone attacks, M A Ganapathy, director general of specialised commando force, said on Saturday.
The systems have detected a few drones in the past few months and have alerted the relevant agencies on time, according to people aware of the development.
The development comes in the backdrop of the twin-drone attack at Jammu Air Force Station on June 27, in which two unmanned aerial vehicles from across the border dropped two improvised bombs on the base, damaging a portion of the building.
The Resistance Front, an offshoot of the Lashkar-e-taiba terror outfit, is said to be behind the attack.
Since then, the government has held a series of meetings with various agencies, private firms and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to install robust antidrone systems along the western border. Both Srinagar and Jammu Indian Air Force (IAF) stations are categorised as ‘sensitive’ installations.
The federal commando force is enhancing its counterterrorism profile and preparing itself to meet emerging security challenges, Ganapathy said on the 37th raising day of the NSG on Saturday.
“The NSG has been deployed at the Srinagar and Jammu IAF stations to provide security cover to the facilities against drone attacks, and this system is working successfully.”
The deployment will continue till full-fledged counterdrone weapons and gadgets are available at these two bases, the people told HT, requesting anonymity.
The NSG has an array of antidrone equipment, radars, jammers and drone killer guns that maintain perimeter security, Ganapathy said. Soon after the drone attack on the Jammu base, a technical surveillance team of the NSG was sent to the station, which deployed its equipment there, he said.
The NSG’S bomb disposal team has also successfully intercepted so-called tiffin bombs sent by drones from across the border, Ganapathy said.
Indian agencies have noticed that a large number of drones are being used by Pakistan army and terrorist groups to drop these tiffin bombs in Indian territory, which are then picked up by the sleeper cells or overground workers of the banned outfits. The NIA is probing several tiffin bomb drops in Punjab.
Junior home minister Nityanand Rai, present at the raising day as chief guest, lauded the commando force, also known as Black Cats, for its operations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has brought an independent security policy for the country, the minister said.
The NSG was raised as a federal counter-terrorist force in 1984 to undertake commando operations to neutralise terrorist and hijack threats. It also provides armed security cover to at least 13 high-risk VIPS.