By Salonee Kulkarni
Assam rifles signed an MOU with IIIT Manipur on Monday at Matripukhri in Imphal West district, establishing an ink pact which ensures the advancement of drone technology, thus ensuring defence and security. The initiative launched an ‘Advanced Drone Training and Refresher Course.’ The course incorporated drone-flight operations, maintenance and DGCA-certified training. The event aims to highlight the importance of the indigenisation of the drone system through defence-academia cooperation.
Through the defence-academia cooperation, technological proficiency in the defence sector will be enhanced. Technological proficiency is crucial in challenging terrains. The challenging terrains require sensitivity in surveillance in border regions. Drones are portable. The ink pact ensures that logistical capabilities are leveraged in border-sensitive regions.
For nearly five decades North-east has witnessed political instability in the form of insurgency. Many factors have contributed to political upheaval. AFSPA has been imposed numerous times on the North-eastern states due to insurgency. In Manipur, the act has been extended. North-eastern states have received inadequate funding, and the geographical distance between the centre and the states is significant. Furthermore, tensions have erupted between the tribal people of the states. In the past, the states have been infiltrated by militants as the international borders are very porous in the region. Thus, threatens the security of civilians.
The MOU aims to introduce reformative changes to drone development by incorporating educational institutions. The operational costs are lower. The missions which are considered high-risk can result in pilot casualties; the usage of drones reduces this risk and ensures that precision targets are hit with minimum casualties.
The course will enable DGCA-certified skills. The indigenisation of drones promotes domestic manufacturing of warfare equipment. Academic expertise ensures the course integrates aspects related to operational and maintenance efficiency.
Drone incursions have been reported in border-sensitive regions. To counter the incursions, strategic advantages must be analysed, which include greater investment in research and development to produce indigenously built AI robotics and drone systems, which uphold the sovereignty of the nation by eliminating the factors which threaten risk.