A business in China set a drone swarm world record in September 2020 with 3,051 drones, and then beat it with a 3,281-drone swarm in March 2021, according to a document distributed by the Indian Army to the Indian defence sector. The emerging swarm drone danger along India’s northern frontiers has the Indian Armed Forces concerned. To combat a drone swarm, they have underlined the necessity to develop High Power Microwave (HPM) weaponry. The Ministry of Defence must create HPM, according to the document, “to counter drone swarms in a platform small enough to be mounted on small platforms such as a tank, 44 truck, or small boats.”

A drone swarm is a collection of drones that communicate and work together for mutual benefit. Artificial intelligence, sensors, weapon systems, navigational technologies, etc. make them possible. Along our northern frontiers, a swarm of hundreds or thousands of drones operated by India’s adversaries might constitute a serious threat.

The employment of drones in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is just a little preview of what drone swarms may be used for in future conflicts. They are perfectly suited for targeted killing, strategic locations, and high-value military targets.

It is described as “the latest and most dangerous” threat by Principal Advisor Lt Gen Vinod G Khandare (Retd), Ministry of Defence.

They cannot be stopped by conventional kinetic techniques. Furthermore, rather than small, sluggish targets like a drone swarm, our Armed Forces are better prepared to capture larger, quicker aviation targets.

It can fly quite close to the ground, making it very challenging to find. Even if it were discovered, it would only be at extremely close range. As a result, the victims of the swarm attack will only have a few seconds or minutes to respond, according to Tanmay Bunkar, CEO of BotLab Dynamics, who spoke to News9 Plus.

Therefore, a system that could identify small, slow, and low-flying drones must be developed.

Microwave, laser, and EMP systems are some of a counter-drone system’s most important parts. High-power systems like this have the potential to be very effective, but further testing is still required, according to Smit Shah, president of the Drone Federation of India.

We are developing ASR radars, which are used to find drones without radio signatures. People here are working on RF-based detecting systems, for example,” Shah continues.

India is far behind China in terms of drone technology. Pakistan benefits from its friendship with China as well. As a result, India faces a challenge from two directions. According to Lt Gen Khandare, if China possesses drone swarms, they will travel to Pakistan.

There is still much catching up to be done. However, India is attempting to bolster our defences since we are aware of the enemy’s technological edge.

When the Indian Air Force introduced the Mehar Baba swarm competition in 2018, they took a step in that direction. A Bangalore-based startup most recently sent drones to the Indian Army. This could mark the introduction of a high-density swarming UAS (unmanned aerial system) for operational use in a military environment. 100 drones flying in a swarm can reach targets in hostile area at least 50 kilometres away.