An indigenously developed anti-drone system will be part of the elaborate security arrangement for US President Donald Trump’s visit to Ahmedabad. Ahead of his visit, the system was successfully tested on Friday, 21 February, reported news agency ANI.
Developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), this defence system can detect and identify and terminate drones, which are small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). These remotely controlled drones could be used to carry out attacks, with explosives attached to them.
In one such attack, on 4 August 2018, two drones had detonated explosives near Avenida Bolivar, Caracas, where the President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro was addressing a gathering. Similarly, on 14 September 2019, Saudi Arabia suffered the deadliest attack on its oil facilities when a small army of drones attacked two major oil plants, destroying nearly 50 percent of the country's global supply of crude.
Since these attacks, drones are considered a high security risk by the security forces across the globe.
According to the report, during the trials on Friday, the DRDO defence system neutralised an incoming drone and it has been declared ready to tackle any drone threat during Trump’s 22-km-long roadshow from the Ahmedabad airport to Motera stadium, on 24 February.
Apart from the anti-drone system, more than 10,000 police personnel led by 25 senior IPS officers are likely to be deployed for the roadshow’s security. Along with the local police, teams of the Rapid Action Force, the State Reserve Police Force, Chetak Commando and the Anti-Terrorist Squad would be deployed on strategic locations, said special commissioner of police, crime branch, Ajay Tomar.
They will work closely with national agencies like the National Security Guard (NSG) and the Special Protection Group (SPG), he said.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI)
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