Unmanned planes to track Maoists

The government is planning to deploy Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in the fight against Naxals for “reconnaissance” and their trials will take place next week.

Barely 48 hours after the worst-ever Maoist attack on security forces, government sources said that the UAVs are urgently required for “real time intelligence” to track the movements of Maoists in the dense forests to help security forces plan operations “more accurately” and “intercept” the Maoists’ movements with the help of images.

The UAVs, which are expected to be procured from Israel, are likely to have a capacity to fly 5,000 feet above the ground where it would capture and monitor movements of Maoists in the jungles providing instant information to the security forces. The government may also request the IAF to provide more helicopters for “rescue” as well as “surveillance” during the anti-Naxal operations.

Four helicopters of BSF are currently deployed in Naxal-affected areas. The government is likely to hasten the process of dividing the mandate of the CRPF into two parts to create a separate wing for counter-insurgency operations.