We anticipated this...did a counter drone exercise to tackle attacks at Army chief's behest: Top Army Air Defence officer

Time of India

19-05-2025

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Director General of Army Air Defence Lt Gen Sumer Ivan D'Cunha , on Monday highlighted India's preparedness in modern warfare, particularly in neutralising drones and other advanced technologies during Operation Sindoor Speaking to ANI, Lt Gen Ivan D'Cunha said that Pakistan's attempt to use drones against India was anticipated by the Indian defence forces, which conducted simulation exercises to prepare for potential drone attacks.Pakistan first sent cheap drones in large numbers to low altitudes to saturate the radar system. Still, the Army had anticipated the drone threat and conducted a simulation exercise on April 26-28 to prepare for potential drone attacks.Speaking about the internal training by the Indian side, Lt Gen D'Cunha said, "I think that the training that we did, actually we anticipated this and you won't believe that about maybe on the 26th, 27th and 28th, we did a simulation exercise at the behest of our army chief in the border areas, where we simulated drone attacks on the weapon system. It was not from the border, but it was internal, on the border... We started at 5:30 in the morning, maybe on the 26th for the first day, when multiple drones were coming in to train our people..."The operation highlighted India's integrated command structures, enabling seamless coordination between different military branches.The Indian Army adopted a tactical approach by not continuously emitting radar signals, instead switching them intermittently to engage targets within gun range.India utilised advanced surveillance systems , including satellite surveillance and real-time intelligence, to gather critical information on enemy positions and movements.India's electronic warfare assets played a crucial role in neutralising Pakistan's command-and-control structure, which would have likely been used to deploy drones.The Indian Air Force's Netra AEW&C aircraft jammed Pakistradars, disrupting their ability to track and respond to Indian aircraft, including drones.During Operation Sindoor, India's offensive strikes targeted key Pakistani airbases- Noor Khan and Rahimyar Khan with surgical precision. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in a statement had said, " Loitering munitions were used to devastating effect, each finding and destroying high-value targets, including enemy radar and missile systems. Loitering munitions also known as "suicide drones" or "kamikaze drones", are weapons systems that can hover or circle a target area, searching for a suitable target before attacking."All strikes were executed without loss of Indian assets, underscoring the effectiveness of our surveillance, planning, and delivery systems. Modern indigenous technology, from long-range drones to guided munitions, made these strikes highly effective and politically calibrated.Lt Gen also highlighted the significant role of drones in modern warfare, citing recent global conflicts and gave examples of how the Nagorno-Karabakh, Russia-Ukraine, and Israel conflicts have demonstrated the vast potential of drone warfare Countries like Ukraine and Russia are ramping up drone production, with Ukraine aiming to manufacture millions of drones annually.While speaking with ANI, Lt Gen D'Cunha said, "So, you know, it's like that the Nagorno-Karabakh-Azerbaijan clash, the Russian-Ukraine clash, and even to some extent, the Israeli current conflict going on, taught us about the huge capability that drones have. And we realised that Pakistan, by its backend support from Turkey and any, maybe our northern adversary as well, had a plethora of drones. And we also knew that to take on an effective air defence integrated system that we have, like the army and the air force are integrated in this case, they would have to saturate us. If you see their concept of employment, they would first send in low-altitude, cheaper drones in large numbers to saturate your radars and force you to open them up. So, I think it's very important that the army looked at not emitting so that we didn't give out our positions..."Notably, the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region included the heavy use of missiles, drones, and rocket artillery.As per the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the 44-day war featured a diverse array of legacy and advanced air and missile strike and defence platforms. Drones of Russian, Turkish, Israeli, and indigenous designs performed both reconnaissance missions to support artillery use and strike missions. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and loitering munition attacks were able to destroy heavy ground units, including T-72 tanks and advanced S-300 air defences.Azerbaijani drones were the centre of attention in this war. Although Armenia deployed some of their own indigenously produced drones, and later footage showed its side using the more sophisticated Russian-made Orlan-10 UAV, Azerbaijan took control of the skies.Drones also became a central weapon in the Russia-Ukraine war. According to the European Council on Foreign Relations, Ukraine aimed to produce one million drones within the year, as early as 2024.In March 2024, that goal was revised to two million, and in October, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the country could manufacture up to four million drones annually. Russia was also reported to be matching this pace of production. It is estimated that about 100 different types of drones are in use in Ukraine, ranging from toy-sized systems to larger models with wingspans of almost 20 metres.