‘DIY drones’ can be easily used by state, non-state actors: Army chief

The army chief’s comments came days after the June 27 attack on the Jammu air force station. It was the first-ever offensive use of drones to target an Indian military facility

Indian Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane on Thursday said that the easy availability of drones allowed both state and non-state actors to use them, increasing the complexity of challenges faced by the security forces, days after an unprecedented unmanned attack on an Indian Air Force (IAF) station in Jammu.

Highlighting the easy availability of devices such as the ones used in Jammu on June 27 -- and several other drones seen and repelled in the region’s Kaluchak area over the past week -- he said that building drones was akin to a “DIY project that could be tackled at home”. The attack was the first-ever offensive use of drones to target an Indian military facility.