Report on measures to counter rogue drone attacks will be submitted to govt soon: BCAS chief

A report recommending measures to counter rogue drone attacks on airports is being finalised and it will be submitted to the civil aviation ministry soon, aviation security chief Rakesh Asthana said on Thursday.

There is a need for technology which is such that it can prevent rogue usage of drones in the country, the director general of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) said at a FICCI programme on 'Countering Rogue Drones'.

"Drones can be used for the betterment of society or for killing people and destroying assets. Both the government and civilians are using drones for commercial purposes, but this is an area we don't know which drone is good and which is rogue," Asthana said.

The measures to counter rogue drones, he said would include neutralising drones through a "soft kill" approach which will include entrapping or jamming drones instead of destroying them.

"The civil aviation ministry had constituted a committee under the chairmanship of the DG BCAS with members from DG CAM, IB, DRDO, the Airports Authority of India, CISF, NSG to find the best available counter drone solutions and standards to safeguard civil aviation against possible drone attacks in India," he said.

"We have taken the line trials, second pilot has just been over. We are in the process of finalising our recommendations and it will be submitted to the government of India soon," Asthana said.