UAV squadron to guard Gujarat coast

Aiming to strengthen coastal surveillance in Gujarat,the Indian Navy will commission Unmanned Aerial Surveillance squadron at Porbandar on January 17,officials said on Saturday.

Aiming to strengthen coastal surveillance in Gujarat,the Indian Navy will commission Unmanned Aerial Surveillance (UAV) squadron at Porbandar on January 17,officials said on Saturday.

The squadron will comprise four units of two Israeli-made Searcher and Heron UAVs. It will help in strengthening our coastal surveillance in the Arabian Sea along the coast of Gujarat, a senior Navy official said.

This is the second squadron of UAVs to be deployed by the Navy along the long coastline of the country. A similar squadron was commissioned by Navy at its base in Kochi a few years ago.

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The Indian Navy is amongst the few elite forces in the world to have deployed such squadrons for maritime surveillance.

Commissioning of Navy squadron in Porbandar assumes significance due to the towns proximity with Pakistan.

The Navy presently uses a small mix of Israeli Heron and Searcher MK-2 UAVs and is making efforts to acquire ship-borne unmanned rotorcraft.

Post 26/11,India has taken several measures to strengthen coastal security after terrorists sailed close to the Gujarat coast in a dhow and reached Mumbai to launch multiple attacks on various targets. The squadron is scheduled to be commissioned by the Gujarat Governor Dr Kamla Beniwal.

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