Representative image of Pakistani drone.
Credit: PTI Photo
Srinagar: Pakistani drones were reportedly spotted flying close to the Line of Control (LoC) in the Keran sector of north Kashmir on Thursday night, prompting the Indian Army to respond with warning fire.
Alert Army units detected multiple drones hovering near forward areas in the Keran sector of Kupwara district, officials said. Troops fired warning shots in accordance with standard operating procedures, after which the drones retreated back towards the Pakistani side. No casualties or damage were reported.
Following the latest sighting, a search operation was launched in the Keran sector to rule out the possibility of any arms or contraband being dropped. Officials said the situation along the LoC remains under close watch and that troops have been placed on heightened alert in view of recent intelligence inputs about possible infiltration and drone-based activities.
Keran sector has historically been a vulnerable infiltration route, and officials say the increased use of drones reflects a shift in tactics from across the border to bypass strengthened ground-based counter-infiltration grids.
The latest incident underlines the growing use of drones as a new and complex security challenge along the LoC and International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir. India shares a 3,323-km-long border with Pakistan, of which 221 km of the IB and 740 km of the LoC fall in Jammu and Kashmir.
Security agencies believe the drones are primarily used for surveillance and for dropping arms, ammunition, explosives, and narcotics to terror modules operating in Kashmir.
In some cases, drones are also suspected to be aiding infiltration attempts by providing real-time reconnaissance of Indian troop positions. Officials said Pakistan has increasingly relied on commercially available drones, including modified quadcopters and fixed-wing drones, many of which are believed to have been procured from China and Turkey.
These drones are often customised locally to increase their range, payload capacity, and endurance, enabling them to operate from launch pads deep inside Pakistani territory or Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
One of the key challenges, defence experts say, is that these drones typically fly at very low altitudes and have a small radar cross-section, making them difficult to detect using conventional air defence radars designed to track aircraft or missiles.
Their slow speed and ability to navigate through mountainous terrain further complicate detection, especially along the rugged LoC in north Kashmir.
Indian security forces, however, have been steadily upgrading their counter-drone strategy. The Army and other agencies have deployed a mix of technologies, including low-level surveillance radars, radio-frequency sensors, electro-optical systems, and night-vision equipment to improve detection.
“Drones have added a new dimension to cross-border threats. Our response now combines human intelligence, electronic surveillance, and kinetic as well as non-kinetic countermeasures,” a senior security official said.
The Army has maintained that it will continue to adapt its strategy to counter emerging threats, with drones now firmly featuring among the top security challenges along the LoC.