Army’s training eagles & falcons to swoop down on hostile drones

The army is putting a flock of avian recruits to drag down quadcopter drones and deploying the same on surveillance exercises.

Details:

• Indian Army was seen using eagles in the ongoing Indo-US military exercise (Yudh Abhyas), in Uttarakhand.
• Remount Veterinary Corps (RVC) Centre in Meerut has been quietly training black eagles and falcons to take down quadcopters.
• RVC, has aced the training and deployment of dogs in the armed forces

• The majority of these birds have been rescued, part of the Falcon Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre.
• A large number of birds have been in training for this mission since 2020.

About Yudh Abhyas:

• The 18^th Edition of India-US Joint Exercise.
• It is an annual exercise. It focuses on the employment of an integrated battle group under Chapter VII of the UN Mandate.
• Joint Exercise aims to enhance interoperability.
• It aims at sharing the expertise between both Armies in Peace Keeping
• It aims at enhancing Disaster Relief Operations.

Need of the initiative:

• The incidents of unmanned aerial vehicles bringing drugs, arms and ammunition from across the border have more than doubled since 2021.
• The frequency of incoming drones is on the increase on the India-Pakistan border.
• Despite having a state-of-the-art laboratory to study drones in Delhi the authorities say that there is no silver bullet to manage it completely.
• Hence, Training eagles to counter the drone problem in India make a suitable option.

History of animals being used during the conflict:

• Homing pigeons being used in the World Wars
• Hawks being unleashed by the Germans to catch them in the Franco-Prussian war.
• Dogs that find bombs and drugs and dolphins that detect mines.
• China uses the unusual trio: of falcons, macaques and hunting dogs to protect its military sites.

Telangana’s Garuda Squad:

• In 2020, the Telangana government gave the state’s Integrated Intelligence Training Academy (IIITA) the go-ahead to create the Garuda Squad.
• It trains birds to neutralize drones during VIP/VVIP visits/programmes in the state.

The Netherlands:

• The Dutch Police 2016 began working with the company Guard from Above.
• It claims that it is “the world’s first company specialized in training birds of prey to intercept hostile drones.
• The eagles had a success percentage of 80 per cent with handlers keeping the birds in line by offering pieces of meat as a reward.

Scotland Yard:

• It is examining the deployment of bald eagles amid concerns that the pilot-less aircraft can be used to smuggle items and drop explosives by terrorists.

Significance:

• The animal instinct of a bird of prey is unique. They are made to be able to overpower fast-moving prey.
• The millennium-old art of falconry has an advantage over gun use.
• They are safer to deploy in cases where large crowds are present.
• However, animal rights lovers expressed concern about the eagles being seriously injured and even killed by drone blades.