The Border Security Force (BSF) has revised its training curriculum to include drone warfare as a compulsory subject for its personnel, while also launching an innovation centre aimed at developing local tools for modern warfare following Operation Sindoor. The BSF’s premier Officers’ Training Academy, located in Madhya Pradesh near Gwalior and comprising approximately 270,000 personnel, has established a drone technology lab for students at the Rustamji Institute of Technology (RJIT), which is the only higher education institution managed by a paramilitary force under the Union home ministry. The BSF is responsible for securing India’s over 6,000-km border with Pakistan and Bangladesh and operates the home ministry’s air wing for special missions.
During Operation Sindoor, the force effectively countered drone strikes and launched strong responses against Pakistani positions along the border, resulting in 18 BSF personnel receiving gallantry medals, including two awarded posthumously, for their bravery during the operation initiated by India in May after the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack that resulted in 26 fatalities. “We have revised the training curriculum for our personnel, and drone technology is now a mandatory subject. New standard operating procedures (SOPs) are being established, and a drone school was recently inaugurated as part of this initiative to ensure the force becomes self-reliant in developing technology that addresses evolving warfare methods worldwide,” stated Shamsher Singh, Director of the BSF Academy, in comments to PTI.
Singh, who holds the rank of Additional Director General (ADG) in the IPS, added that the force has consolidated its various arms, engineering workshops, and RJIT on a single platform. The BSF has also entered into memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with several IITs and government research agencies to devise a strategy for the tactical use of drone technology within the border force. PTI has previously reported that a drone squadron and a drone warfare school were established in the BSF following Operation Sindoor. The BSF Academy has also developed a ‘police technology innovation centre’ that collaborates with its expert officers, industry partners, startups, educators, and innovators to address emerging internal security challenges, including drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
“This centre is focusing on 48 identified issues, with drones, artificial intelligence, machine learning, surveillance, and smart mobility among the key areas of research,” noted a second officer. B.Tech students at RJIT are specifically working on enhancements to improve the use of drones for surveillance, defence, and tactical combat. The drone school has recently completed training its first batch of approximately 45 personnel in drone commando and drone warrior courses, who have since returned to the border, while a second group is currently in training. The objective is to train around 500 personnel each year, with plans to gradually increase this number.
An instructor from the centre explained that the drone commando course is designed for soldiers and junior-ranking officials, while the drone warriors program is intended for officers responsible for planning and overseeing operations during both peacetime and wartime. BSF personnel are receiving training in both the theoretical and practical aspects of drone operation, anti-drone tactics, and the strategic deployment of technology. Approximately Rs 20 crore has been allocated for acquiring devices, equipment, and simulators for the new school, according to officials. The force has developed training materials based on recent global combat experiences with unmanned aerial systems, such as in the Ukraine-Russia conflict, as well as insights from countries like the US, China, Turkey, and Pakistan.
Coordination plans are also being developed for the integration of BSF drone assets with those of the defense forces during active conflict scenarios, as mentioned by the previously cited officer.