Now Reading: Army raises first Baaz drone battalion in Punjab facing Pakistan
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Army raises first Baaz drone battalion in Punjab facing Pakistan
The Story in Brief
The Indian Army has raised a specialised drone battalion, named 'Baaz', at Jalandhar in Punjab under 11 Corps for operations along the western front with Pakistan. The unit, the first such battalion in a state facing Pakistan, will operate a mix of long-range unmanned aerial vehicles including the MQ-9B, Heron, Hermes and Ghatak for surveillance, logistics and attack roles.
The battalion will act as a centralised hub to standardise training, manage technical data and handle software updates for high-intensity drone warfare. Sources said it will operate platforms sourced from the US, Israel and Indian manufacturers, and will be placed under the Army Aviation Corps, distinct from existing artillery drone batteries and infantry platoons.
The initiative reflects lessons from the prolonged standoff with China and the use of UAVs during last year's Operation Sindoor against Pakistan. The Army's drone inventory has grown from a few hundred systems two years ago to more than 50,000 unmanned systems, aligning with the outgoing Army Chief's 'Decade of Transformation' vision.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The deployment of a dedicated drone battalion at Jalandhar places a specialised aerial warfare unit just 30 km from the Pakistan border, significantly cutting response times for surveillance and strike missions. The choice of location under 11 Corps, which oversees the western front, signals that lessons from the 2024 Operation Sindoor have accelerated the integration of unmanned systems into regular combat formations. The battalion's role as a centralised 'brain' for mixed fleets, from Israeli Herons to American MQ-9Bs and Indian-made Ghatak drones, addresses a critical gap: the lack of standardised training and data management across diverse platforms. With the Army's drone fleet jumping from a few hundred to over 50,000 in two years, the next concrete step is the induction schedule for the MQ-9B deal with General Atomics, which will determine how quickly the battalion achieves full operational capability.
Source: newindianexpress.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Methodology and corrections.
