At PM’s high-level meet futuristic challenges, drone policy discussed

New Delhi, June 29: At the high-level meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval, discussions were held on rolling out a comprehensive drone policy in the wake of the emerging threats and future challenges facing the country.

The meeting was held two days after drones were used for a terror strike at the Jammu airbase. The Army had on Monday said that it had averted a major threat when two drones were spotted near the military station in Jammu. The drones flew away after the forces fired at them.

The high level meeting was held to discuss the futuristic challenges in the defence sector and equipping the forces with modern equipment, sources tell OneIndia. A regulatory framework on the for the use of drones, airspace management, the air passages in which drones can be allowed were also discussed at the meeting.

PTI reported that the meeting also discussed various other aspects such as equipping the security forces with modern equipment and also involving more youngsters, start-ups and the strategic community in the field. The three service chiefs as well as the key national security planners will hold a series of meetings in the next few weeks to speed up the work on the policy.

G Satheesh Reddy, chief of the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) has said that the organisation has the counter drone technology which could provide the armed forces with the capability to swiftly detect, intercept and destroy the UAS that poses a security threat.

He also said that the DRDO's anti-drone system would give the military both soft kill and hard kill options to tackle the new and fast emerging security threat.