New Delhi: Unauthorised drones humming over Indian airports may soon be tracked, stopped and even landed by enhanced mitigation systems.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation has roped in private companies from five countries, including Germany and Russia, to conduct field trials to demonstrate counter-drone technology that can halt unmanned aerial objects near airports. IITs have also been roped in for the project.
Once trials are over, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will submit a report to the civil aviation ministry following which the procurement process will start, ThePrint has learned.
“The initiative is in compliance with the drone regulation policy put out by the Ministry of Civil Aviation last year. The idea is to counter drones or other unmanned aerial flying objects which can prove to be a security threat and disrupt flight operations,” said a source from the ministry, who did not wish to be named.
Drone flying prohibited near airports
The DGCA had, in December 2018, issued a policy to permit use of remotely-piloted or unmanned aerial vehicles only for civilian commercial and personal use under stipulated conditions.
The demand for drones has increased in the past few years with interest in aerial photography and other commercial applications.
But the challenge still remains on ways to monitor these vehicles in sensitive areas since there is no way to communicate with or identify their operators.
“To take action against an unauthorised drone, we first need a technology that will help us identify who is flying the object. Then a mechanism will be needed to counter it,” said another source in the ministry.
He also said, “Even if a drone is spotted in a no-fly zone such as an airport it cannot be immediately shot down. The vehicle may explode and put flights at risk. A proper counter mechanism is hence required to deal with these objects”.
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Countries displaying technology
The DGCA has given a list of requirements to participating companies who are undergoing trials.
“Depending on our specific requirements, the firms have demonstrated various technology. Many of these technologies are already under use in their respective countries. We will also be working with the IITs in this project,” said the source.
Previous sightings
In 2016, UFO-like objects were spotted near the IGI airport in Delhi.
On 31 March, 2016 a flying object was spotted over the apron area of IGI airport. It disappeared before security forces arrived at the scene.
In December 2017, operations had to be suspended for an hour at the Delhi airport when the pilot of a Chennai-Delhi IndiGo flight spotted a suspicious flying object.
In March 2017, a balloon-like object was spotted close to an operational runway at the Delhi airport.
In 2015, another suspicious object was spotted over runway 29 of the Delhi airport by ATC officials.
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