GS-2 (Defence policy); GS-3 (science & technology, indigenisation of defence, internal security); Prelims (current events, science & technology).

Why this matters now, and what the words mean

India is hardening its skies after recent operations and border incidents showed how small, cheap drones can slip past old sensors and strike with surprise. Two big moves are underway:

• Upgrading Army radars so they can spot low, slow, small objects (think palm-sized quadcopters) and even swarms of many tiny drones flying together. These new radars are planned for the northern and western borders and will plug into the Army’s air-defence network so that units get faster, clearer pictures of the sky. 
• Setting up 19 Army drone-training centres at premier academies (Dehradun, Mhow, Chennai, Gaya, Deolali and others) to turn drone use and anti-drone defence into everyday soldier skills—backed by a large, standardised training fleet and simulators. The plan draws directly from lessons of Operation Sindoor.

India is acting on two fronts—better “eyes” in the sky (radars) and better hands and minds on the ground (trained soldiers).

Key terms :

• Radar cross-section: how “large” an object appears to a radar. A small quadcopter looks almost like a dot, so it is harder to see.
  
• Electro-optical tracker: a stabilised day-and-night camera that locks on to a moving speck in the sky and helps shooters aim.
  
• Passive radio detector: an electronic “ear” that listens for the control signals or video signals of a drone to confirm it is there and where it is going.
  
• Swarm: many small drones flown together so that they overload defences.
  
• Directed-energy weapon (laser): a focused energy beam that can burn the body or electronics of a small drone at close range.
  
• Digital twin: a computer copy of a river, town, base or airspace that lets planners run “what-if” drills before a real incident.
  
• Cell broadcast alert: a short warning that reaches every mobile phone in a location, even if numbers are not saved.
  

What is changing: better “eyes” in the sky and better “hands” on the ground

a) Radars are being upgraded for the new kind of threat

Older sensors were built to find big and fast targets such as fighter jets and large helicopters. Today’s threat often comes from the opposite direction: low, slow, small. These craft fly close to the ground, have tiny radar cross-sections, and hide inside ground clutter. The Army is therefore moving to radars that are more sensitive, that filter ground clutter better, and that are designed to follow many small dots at once. Three simple changes matter most:

• Low-level coverage that is actually dense: more antennas placed where valleys, riverbeds and gaps used to hide drones, so that the “no-picture” zones shrink.
  
• Multi-sensor fusion: the new packages pair radar with electro-optical trackers and passive radio detectors. The radar says “something small is here.” The camera and the radio detector help confirm “it is a drone, it is moving north-west, and it is controlled from there.” This reduces false alarms and speeds up the decision.
  
• Software for swarms: the system does not panic when ten or twenty tiny returns appear together. It groups, ranks and predicts, so defenders do not waste shots.
  

Close-in protection is also improving. India is testing laser systems around sensitive locations. A laser does not run out of bullets, and it is perfect for a few hundred metres around a runway, ammunition dump or command post.

b) Nineteen Army drone-training centres will make skills common, not rare

At the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun, the Infantry School in Mhow, the Officers Training Academies in Chennai and Gaya, the School of Artillery in Deolali, and other premier campuses, the Army is creating a nationwide training grid. The plan is simple and bold:

• Train everyone, not just specialists. Recruits and young officers will learn to fly mapping drones, scouting drones and first-person-view racing drones for fast, close missions. They will also learn counter-drone drills: spotting, tracking, jamming, safe capture and safe destruction. 
• Use many airframes and many simulators. About one thousand training drones across weight and range classes, plus hundreds of simulators, will make practice safe and routine before real flying. 
• Make this part of the standard course. The aim is that every soldier who passes through a premier school gets hands-on time with both sides of the coin—how to use drones for advantage and how to defeat them. 

Why this scale matters: drones have become the “rifle of the sky.” When even the smallest team knows how to fly, scout, resupply and defend, the whole Army becomes faster and harder to surprise.

How the two moves work together on a real day 

Think of a simple four-step chain that runs in minutes:

1. Detect. A low-level radar sees a faint dot hugging a riverbed. The software does not dismiss it as a bird because the movement pattern and radio signature line up with a quadcopter.
   
2. Decide. The control room receives fused feeds: radar track, camera lock, and a radio “ping.” A quick friend-or-foe check is done. A nearby team is given the fire lane and a backup team is told to jam if the drone crosses a line.
   
3. Defeat. Depending on range and rules, the team uses a radio jammer, an anti-drone gun, a missile, a net-capture device or a laser. The choice is layered: jam first if safe, shoot or burn if the drone keeps coming.
   
4. Debrief and update drills. The team records what worked. The training schools feed this back into next week’s classes. Tactics improve with each run.
   

Result: more time to think, fewer missed contacts, and a steady rise in skill across the force.

The bigger picture: why India must move fast, what is hard, and what to do next

Why now: From the Caucasus to Ukraine to West Asia, small drones are rewriting tactics. They scout for artillery, drop small bombs, and fly in groups to saturate defences. India cannot rely on twentieth-century radars and a handful of experts. It needs twenty-first-century sensors and tens of thousands of trained users.

What is hard:

• Clutter near the ground. Birds, tree lines, wires and uneven terrain create noise. Software must learn local patterns and be tuned by people who know the ground.
  
• Weather and terrain. Hills and deep valleys bend and block signals. This calls for careful placement of antennas and relays.
  
• Integration. Radars, cameras, radio detectors, jammers and shooters must speak to each other. Data standards and common displays are as important as the hardware itself.
  
• Costs and maintenance. Many small sites mean many batteries, cables, spare parts and trained technicians. This must be planned as part of the purchase, not after it.
  

What to do next :

• Finish the low-level radar grid along the northern and western sectors, with clear maps of remaining blind spots.
  
• Publish a simple “detect–decide–defeat” playbook for deserts, plains and mountains, and drill each version every season.
  
• Create red-team units at the training centres that act as the enemy with drones during exercises, so troops learn under pressure.
  
• Grow local industry for sensors, jammers, lasers and training targets to keep costs low and upgrades fast.
  
• Link warning to people. Use cell broadcast in local languages around border towns and base perimeters for short, clear alerts when needed.
  

The experience commonly grouped under the name Operation Sindoor made one point crystal clear: the front line changes when the air just above ground level is crowded with tiny flying machines. Surprise comes from size, not only from speed. India’s answer is to see smaller, earlier and to train everyone, not only specialists. The radar plan and the nineteen training centres are two halves of that same answer.

Exam hook

India’s response to the drone era is twin-tracked: better eyes (radars that see low, slow and small, including swarms) and better hands (training at nineteen centres so every soldier can use and defeat drones). Sensors buy time; training turns time into the right action.

Key takeaways

• The Army is acquiring radars that handle tiny radar cross-sections, ground clutter and swarms, with cameras and radio detectors to confirm targets.
  
• Nineteen drone-training centres at premier academies will make drone use and counter-drone defence a basic soldier skill, supported by a large training fleet and simulators.
  
• A simple chain—detect, decide, defeat, and debrief—will guide daily practice across deserts, plains and mountains.
  
• The hard parts are low-level clutter, terrain blocks, integration and upkeep; these must be planned from day one.
  
• Local industry for sensors, jammers and lasers is vital to keep costs low and upgrades quick.
  

Mains question (200–250 words)

“Small drones are shifting the balance of battlefield observation and strike. Explain how India’s plan to upgrade low-level radar coverage and to build nineteen Army drone-training centres can together produce a layered counter-drone shield. 

Hints: In your answer, outline the detect–decide–defeat chain, the role of multi-sensor fusion, and the steps needed to overcome ground clutter, terrain blocks and maintenance gaps.”

Prelims question 

Match the training location with the state:

1. Indian Military Academy — 1) Uttarakhand
   B. Infantry School, Mhow — 2) Madhya Pradesh
   C. Officers Training Academy — 3) Tamil Nadu
   D. School of Artillery, Deolali — 4) Maharashtra

Choose the correct set:
(a) A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4
(b) A-2, B-1, C-3, D-4
(c) A-1, B-3, C-2, D-4
(d) A-1, B-2, C-4, D-3

Answer: (a)

One-line wrap

See the small early, train everyone, and link sensors to shooters—this is how India makes the sky above the ground safe again.

Indian Express