Army raising specialised ‘Baaz Battalions’ for aerial surveillance, drone warfare

NEW DELHI: To boost its surveillance capability, Indian Army is raising ‘Baaz Battalions’ that will provide frontline units with advanced aerial surveillance and situational awareness tools, a source told TOI.‘Baaz Battalions’ will strengthen border monitoring, drone warfare preparedness, operational readiness along sensitive frontiers and coordination between frontline units and intelligence systems.Outgoing Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi said Monday that ‘Baaz Battalions’ would build upon existing remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) flights. An RPA is a type of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that does not carry a human pilot on board but is actively flown from a remote pilot station.“These battalions will comprise a specialist pool of trained personnel to operate and manage RPA systems. The initiative is aimed at enhancing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities through integrated aerial surveillance, persistent battlefield awareness and rapid response, while contributing to a more technology-enabled and future-ready Indian Army,” a source said.These battalions are likely to be placed under the Army Aviation Corps.The Army took the initiative after drawing lessons from recent conflicts, especially the Russia-Ukraine war, LAC standoffs with China and Operation Sindoor against Pakistan, where drone capabilities proved crucial.On drones becoming an integral part of any battlefield, Gen Dwivedi recently said, “About two years ago, the Indian Army possessed only a few hundred drones. Today, that number has grown significantly and now stands beyond 50,000. Based on our current roadmap and operational requirements, we expect this strength to grow further over the next few years and potentially double within the next 2 to 3 years.”