CISF, Drone federation of India sign MoU to strengthen counter-drone capabilities

AZARA, Aug 29: The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and the Drone Federation of India (DFI) on Saturday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen drone and counter-drone capabilities for protecting critical installations across the country.

The agreement was signed at the CISF headquarters by Dr C D Naik, DIG (Principal), MPRTC Behror, on behalf of the CISF, and DFI President Smit Shah. CISF Director General Praveer Ranjan and senior officers, including ADG North Sudhir Kumar and ADG HQ Vijay Prakash, were present at the ceremony.

The CISF, which is the nodal agency for dealing with aerial threats at vital installations, currently protects more than 370 units across the country, including aviation facilities, nuclear installations, space centres and oil refineries.

With the increasing use and sophistication of drones, the CISF has been focusing on strengthening its ability to detect, track and respond to rogue drone activities. More than 3,000 CISF personnel have been trained in drone and counter-drone protocols, while around 80 units are using drones for surveillance, threat detection and training purposes.

A key objective of the MoU is to develop the CISF’s Recruit Training Centre (RTC) at Behror as a comprehensive Centre of Excellence for drone and counter-drone systems in accordance with Ministry of Home Affairs guidelines.

Under the partnership, the DFI will facilitate engagement with Indian drone startups and technology companies for capacity building, applied research and operational preparedness.

The collaboration will focus on developing standard operating procedures and deployment frameworks for counter-drone systems at CISF-protected establishments. It will also promote indigenous forensic tools and best practices for analysing rogue drone incidents and conducting post-incident assessments.

The two organisations will further conduct joint drills and controlled red-teaming exercises to assess capabilities in detecting, tracking and responding to drone intrusions. Training modules, student hackathons and challenge programmes covering operational practices, regulations and emerging threat scenarios will also be developed.

CISF Director General Praveer Ranjan said the partnership would help develop RTC Behror as a leading Centre of Excellence in drone and counter-drone capabilities and enable the force to test its preparedness against realistic and evolving aerial threats.

DFI President Smit Shah said the Indian drone industry was committed to supporting the CISF in securing the country’s critical infrastructure and that the partnership would help bridge operational requirements with indigenous technological innovations.