Today are the times, where humans have come up with many influential technological inventions. The miracles and imagination of the past are the reality of today. These technologies have expanded the dynamics of warfare and influenced factors of national security. Swarm drones is one such technological concept that has the ability to open new possibilities in the world of Warfare and of Security.
The world has seen the use of bees as weapons in battlefields. The swarms of honeybees played an important role in Gorilla warfare. Now imagine what if those bees could help one to gather enemy intelligence, or to improve surveillance, or to eliminate enemy strength by a lethal attack. Here comes the concept of Swarm drones to make those imaginations a reality.
Let’s Understand the Concept of Swarm Drones With Following Points
1. The number of drones flying together, tracking, and maintaining their relative position in the air.
2. They are interconnected with the ability of self co-ordination and of working together.
3. They can be directed by speech and gestures by using tablets and such other devices.
4. Or an autonomous system can be develop which will work without human interference according to its own technical inputs, Intelligence and analysis to provide desired outcome.
5. Different, rather more advanced as compared to the drones that are currently used by militaries across the globe. i.e advance in terms of ability of self organisation.
6. Drones of different sizes and shapes according to the need of the situation. E.g. Micro drones of the shape of missiles.
7. Swarms that can collectively co-ordinate and decide their own behavior according to the real time scenario.
A Few of the Many Possibilities of Swarm Drones For Military Use:
1. It is the best tool to gather and analyse the real time technical intelligence.
2. It can be used for targeted surveillance and reconnaissance over vast areas.
3. To carry different types of payloads depending upon the necessity.
4. Immediate adoption and respond to the unexpected threats.
5. To perform Search and Rescue, Search and Destroy Operations.
6. Accomplish the certain missions without exposing its men and women in uniform to the enemy threats.
7. Surveillance over the seas and oceans.
8. To increase the footprints and military capabilities for operations under the deep sea water.
9. To overcome the threats and limitations of the current UAVs, aircrafts and other aerial vehicles.
10. To perform tactical as well as strategic operations even beyond the enemy lines.
11. Minimising the errors and increasing the accuracy of operation by its interconnected and self driven co-ordinations.
12. To increase Lethality of attack by carrying suitable weapon systems and even missiles in times of needs.
Countries Involved In The Development Of The Technology:
Many countries, are working officially and some unofficially, must have been working on this technology. Some of those countries involved are as follows:
1. USA’s Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency ( DARPA ) has been working on one such project of drones.
2. The then Defence Secretary of UK, Gavin Williamson, announced plans to use ‘Defence Transformation Fund’ to develop squadrons of network enabled drones capable of confusing and overwhelming enemy air defences.
3. ‘Flock-93’ is one such project of Russia to develop huge drones for war. Many Russian academics and aerospace engineers have come together for the projects.
4. Many reports have confirmed that the Chinese have also came up with such Technology. It has already set a world record in December 2017 at the Global Fortune Forum in Guangzhou.
5. India is also active in the development of drone Technology, under the project dubbed as ‘Alpha-S’. India also have signed the deals with US and Israel to develop swarm drones technology. Also the DRDO, HAL, ADA (Aeronautical Development Agency) are working on the Drone Technology.
Conclusion:
Swarm Drone Technology will give one an edge over the enemy on the battlefields. It will transform the dynamics of warfare, especially the Electronic Warfare and Information Warfare. But one must remember that every technology comes with the responsibility to use it wisely.
One also must be aware of the era of Swarm Drones will not come alone. As every other Technology, it will come along with its counter technology that is Anti Drone Technology which has already started taking place to offer defence against drone swarms.
India needs to have developments in this field in time to ensure its national security and to be one of the major and influential stakeholders of this technology.
Electro-Magnetic Pulse drones to destroy enemy electronic systems. Launched from military cargo aircraft by rotary launches. If they can’t target you, they may as well “walk home” and forget the violence!