The DRDO’s D4 Drone System has been undergoing extensive trials across the country and will soon enter mass production for deployment across the country’s vulnerable western border with Pakistan, which is using Hexacopters to drop weapons and narcotics in the Indian states of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir to fund terror activities in the region.
One of the products on display at Aero India 2023 was the DRDO’s Drone, Detect, Deter, and Destroy (D4) system. This is the first indigenously developed anti-drone system to be inducted into the Indian Armed Forces, capable of combating any security threat within a 4-kilometer radius. The DRDO-developed D4 Drone System, manufactured by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), is the first indigenously built anti-drone system to be inducted into the Indian armed forces.
Features Of DRDO’s D4 – Drone, Detect, Deter, And Destroy System
The drone system can detect, track, and identify rogue drones within a 4km range by using multiple sensors and two different counterattacks. The D4 drone system is capable of destroying micro drones by jamming command and control links and causing further damage to the drones’ hardware.
When this system detects an aerial threat, it sends the information to the associated systems. This knowledge allows for hard or soft kill counter-strategies. For soft kill, the system instantly detects and jams micro drones, while for the hard kill, a laser-based kill mechanic is used to terminate targets. Depending on the wattage, the system can lase a target up to 1.25 km away. It jams the systems after detecting the frequency used by the controller using the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS).
It includes a drone detection and tracking radar, a day and night camera, a communication channel and jamming system, GPS jamming and spoofing, and a command and control center with power sources for the entire system. These characteristics make it a lethal counter-drone threat.
Importance of D4 for India
Drones are becoming more dangerous for India. The D4 anti-drone system is a long-needed technological piece of the country’s defence infrastructure. Drone sightings along the Line of Control have recently increased (LOC). In 2023, the BSF shot down 22 such drones and seized nearly 45 kilograms of heroin, as well as seven grenades, 60 rounds of ammunition, and two magazines. These drones have been used to drop weapons, drugs, and explosives across the border into Indian territory.
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