Pramesh S Jain
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Drone Federation of India (DFI) to strengthen its drone and counter-drone capabilities and enhance security at critical installations across the country.
The MoU was signed at CISF headquarters by C.D.Naik, DIG (Principal),MPRTC Behror,on behalf of the CISF,and DFI President Smit Shah.
CISF Director General Praveer Ranjan and senior officers were present during the signing ceremony.
The CISF,the nodal agency for handling aerial threats at vital installations,currently guards more than 370 units across India,including airports,nuclear installations, space centres and oil refineries.
The agreement comes amid growing concerns over the increasing availability and sophistication of drones and the potential threat posed by rogue aerial platforms to sensitive installations.
The CISF has already integrated drone technology into its operations,with more than 3,000 personnel trained in drone and anti-drone protocols.
Around 80 CISF units are currently using drones for surveillance, threat detection and training.
As part of the MoU,the CISF’s Recruit Training Centre (RTC) at Behror will be developed as a Centre of Excellence for Drone and Counter-Drone Systems,in accordance with Ministry of Home Affairs guidelines.
The Drone Federation of India will facilitate structured engagement between the CISF and Indian drone startups and technology companies to promote capacity building,applied research and operational preparedness.
The collaboration will focus on developing standard operating procedures and deployment frameworks for counter-drone systems,besides conducting pilot projects at CISF-protected establishments.
It will also cover the development of indigenous forensic tools and best practices for investigating rogue drone activity and conducting post-incident assessments.
The CISF and DFI will further conduct joint drills and controlled red-teaming exercises to assess the ability of security personnel to detect,track and respond to drone intrusions.
Specialised training modules,hackathons and challenge programmes will also be organised to expose personnel to emerging drone threats,operational practices and regulatory requirements.
CISF DG Praveer Ranjan said the partnership would help develop RTC Behror into a leading Centre of Excellence for drone and counter-drone capabilities and enable the force to test its preparedness against evolving aerial threats.
DFI President,Smit Shah said the Indian drone industry was committed to supporting the CISF in protecting critical infrastructure and bridging operational requirements with indigenous technological innovations.
