By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd) Former Director General of Information Systems, Indian Army

While in January this year, a drone crashed on the White House grounds, raising questions over how commercial and consumer drones can be used safely in the US, there was bigger concern in Japan in April when a drone with traces of radioactive material, a bottle with unspecified contents and mounted with a camera was found on the roof of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's office in Tokyo on April 22. The 50cm diameter drone was decorated with a symbol that warned of radioactive material. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshihide Suga, said the incident was a wakeup call to the potential dangers of drones including possible terror attacks. In 1995, post the Sarin gas bombing of Tokyo subway it was found that the Aum Shinrikyo cult responsible for the attack had two remote controlled helicopters that had luckily crashed during trials. The cult otherwise had enough Sarin gas to kill one million people. Significantly, Japanese aviation laws have no restrictions for unmanned drones flying at or below 250 metres above ground except along flight routes. Post this incident, the Delhi Police was alerted by intelligence agencies of possibility of terrorist organizations planning a similar action in the Capital; intelligence inputs that groups like LeT and JeM have been planning drone attacks. Such intelligence inputs had also come this January while President Obama was chief guest at the Republic Day Parade. As per media reports, India is the world's top drone importer after UK and France; 22.5% world's UAVs were imported by India from 1985 to 2014. Drones are being used in the country for shooting concerts and movies, filming private parties, by police organizations for surveillance and monitoring traffic, and for surveillance and intelligence gathering by armed forces. The NDRF used drones during the recent earthquake relief in Nepal. Significantly, the DGCA had announced in October 2014 that till proper rules and regulations are formulated, use of drones in the country is "illegal". Last year, media reported that an eatery in Mumbai had delivered food items to consumers using a drone. Interestingly, while Amazon has successfully conducted test bed for delivery of items at the customer's doorsteps, it cannot make it operational in the US unless the regulations for use of drones are revamped and promulgated.

It is reported that for the US to come out with comprehensive regulations for use of drones. So, while DGCA indicates that rules and regulations are being formulated in this regard, we can expect a long gestation period. But the formulation of rules and regulations is one part and promulgating them the real issue. Last year, four individuals were caught filming the Ganga Arti in Varanasi using drone cameras without permission. They admitted they had already done similar filming using cam-copter for a travel channel at Allahabad, Varanasi, Shimla, Manali and Agra, and that the filming team included four foreigners. The cam-copter at Varanasi was observed and so the persons could be apprehended, but at other places such filming was unhindered. The problem is more complex if cam-copters are used at night with IR cameras, detection being difficult in hours of darkness. A terrorist organization could use drone (s) by night to deliver chemical or radioactive payloads. Even by day, the problem can be viewed in backdrop of the weapons at Purulia were discovered only after the airdrop had been executed, and drones come in all mall sizes. Then, we have multiple manufactures in India marketing drones, even as remote controlled toys for children, cam-copters for surveillance and private clubs indulging in drone flying adventure, like elsewhere in the world. Monitoring such equipment in a populous country like ours is a herculean task, and yet it must be done. It amounts to tracking the manufactured equipment, its sale and locations by incorporating the population into reporting possible misuse; institutionalizing the 'billion eyes on ground' concept in concert with the intelligence agencies. Compared to larger UAVs, small drones are much more difficult to detect as they need little space to take off. Over and above detection, would also be the problem of intercepting and bringing down a terror drone including the method of bringing down without activation its lethal load. Hamas has been known to be using armed drones. In 2009, an attempt was made to deliver drugs to prisoners using a drone in a UK prison guarded by a 50 feet high electric fence. In 2011, Rezwan Ferdaus, an al-Qaeda affiliate, planned to launch an attack on the Pentagon and Capitol buildings using a remote-controlled drone laden with explosives but the plot was intercepted by the FBI. In 2012, criminals piloted a $600 remote-controlled quad-copter was piloted over a Brazilian prison to deliver cell phones to the prisoners. India has been subjected to terrorism for almost three decades now. Terrorists, especially the state sponsored ones, are looking at new methods assisted by technology to strike us. We need to focus on drone terrorism, which already is a reality.