CISF Signs MOU with Drone Federation of India to Bolster Drone & Anti-Drone Capabilities at Critical Installations

New Delhi:

Port Wings News Network:

To further fortify the security of the nation’s critical infrastructure against emerging aerial threats, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and the Drone Federation of India (DFI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the CISF Headquarters.

The agreement was signed by Dr. C D Naik, DIG (Principal) MPRTC Behror, on behalf of CISF, and Smit Shah, President of DFI.

The signing took place in the presence of Praveer Ranjan, Director General, CISF, alongside senior officers including Sudhir Kumar, ADG North, and Vijay Prakash, ADG I-IQ.

Key representatives from DFI, including Shirin Joshi (Director), Shivangi Prakash (Associate Director), and Sama Sehgal (Chief of Staff), also attended the ceremony.

ENHANCING CAPABILITIES AGAINST MODERN AERIAL THREATS

As the nodal agency designated for handling aerial threats at vital installations, the CISF currently secures over 370 units across India, including highly sensitive sectors such as aviation, nuclear installations, space centers and oil refineries.

With the rapid proliferation of drone technology and its increasing complexity, timely detecting and neutralizing rogue drones has become an operational imperative. This capability enhancement draws from past operational experiences at sensitive border units and critical infrastructure, demanding a strong, timely deterrence and defense system.

Currently, CISF has integrated drone technology into daily operations, with over 3,000 personnel formally trained in drone and anti-drone protocols. Furthermore, approximately 80 CISF units actively utilize drones for continuous monitoring, threat detection, and training purposes. CISF has also developed a team of Domain experts on the subject who are pioneering the adoption of Drone technology in CISF’s operational fold.

RTC BEHROR: AN EMERGING CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE

Primary objective of this MOU is to develop the CISF’s Recruit Training Centre (RTC) in Behror into a comprehensive Centre of Excellence for Drone and Counter-Drone Systems, strictly adhering to Ministry of Home Affairs guidelines.

To drive this initiative, the CISF has developed a dedicated team of domain experts who are pioneering the adoption of drone technology within the force’s operational framework.

Under this collaboration, DFI will facilitate structured engagements with Indian drone startups and technology companies to support capacity building, applied research, and operational preparedness.

Key areas of collaboration outlined in the MOU include:

 Scaling Counter-Drone Deployments:

 Supporting the development of Standard Opelûting Procedures (SOPs), deployment frameworks, and pilot projects for structured countel-drone deployment at CISF-protected establishments.

Forensics and Analysis: Establishing best practices and indigenous forensic tools for the analysis, investigation, and post-incident assessment of rogue drone activity.

Joint Drills and Red-Teaming:

Organizing controlled red-teaming exercises and joint drills to test rogue drone intrusion detection, tracking, response, escalation, and postincident readiness against evolving threats.

Training and Capacity Building: Designing dynamic training modules, student hackathons, and challenge programs that cover operational practices, regulations, and threat scenarios.

Speaking about the MoU, Praveer Ranjan, Director General, CISF, said: ‘This MOU is particularly important for CISF as we are working towards developing RTC Behror as a Centre of Excellence in the field of Drones and Counter-Drone Systems. I am confident that this partnership between CISF and DFI will help us take forward the objectives laid down by the Ministry of Home Affairs and develop Behror as a leading Centre of Excellence for drone and counter-drone capabilities in the country. Their participation will provide CISF an opportunity to test its preparedness against realistic and evolving drone threats and help us identify gaps in our existing systems, procedures and response mechanisms.”

Smit Shah, President, Drone Federation of India, said: “The Indian drone industry is fully committed to supporting the CISF in safeguarding the nation’s critical infrastructure. Through this partnership, we aim to bridge operational requirements with indigenous technological innovations. By testing our startup capabilities in realistic scenarios, developing robust forensic tools, and creating specialized training platforms, we are taking significant strides toward a technologically resilient and ‘Aatmanirbhar’ security architecture.”

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