‘Invisible’ laser walls to help guard border
The BSF is all set to get more teeth to man the 198 km India-Pakistan international border using a newly developed technology that can detect intrusions and relay information immediately to the nearest post.
Developed by Delhi-based defence IoT firm, CRON Systems, the made-in-India technology is called Kavach (KVx) series laser walls and is a notch higher than the existing laser walls.
“(Existing) Laser walls, because of their beams, were visible. And the terrain and alignments (in the region) were a problem. We were looking for a wall that is invisible on the ground, cannot be felt, and is more effective,” said Rakesh Sharma, former inspector general of BSF’s Jammu Frontier. “CRON Systems have come up with this intrusion detection system based on infrared array, which is invisible. It is more advanced than laser walls,” he said.
India shares nearly 3,000 km border with Pakistan, of which 198 km international border and 740 km LoC falls in Jammu and Kashmir. Infiltration of Pakistani militants through this part has been a major issue for the BSF which guards the border.
Besides electric fencing, the force has tried using various technologies, including laser, to detect and prevent intrusions. Kavach walls are the latest in the series of developments undertaken by the force.
CRON Systems CEO Tushar Chhabra said BSF men use miCRON, a command and control platform, to manage the devices and monitor the border from their outpost. The walls can immediately alert the nearest outpost about intrusion attempts and triggers action from a quick response tool (QRT), which is an internet of things (IoT) device.
BSF is currently pilot testing the Kavach walls along the Samba sector border, through which three Pakistani militants had entered India last year.