At the India-Pakistan border, drones are frequently deployed for cross-border smuggling of contraband such as weapons and narcotics, posing a grave threat to India's national security and social stability. According to data from India's Border Security Force (BSF), a total of 257 drones have been seized or shot down as of November 30, 2024, 250 of which were intercepted along the western border, compared with only 110 in 2023, indicating a marked surge in illegal drone activities. Given the widespread use of drones in modern conflicts and the threats they pose to the Indian military's land and maritime border security, the Indian armed forces have accelerated the development of counter-drone systems.

  There is a wide range of updates regarding the delivery of counter-drone systems to frontline Indian military troops. The Indian Navy has ordered the 30mm AK-630M close-in weapon system naval guns for its next-generation missile frigates to boost the air defense capabilities of warships against anti-ship missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The Indian Army has deployed various types of counter-drone systems in multiple border areas, including new indigenous integrated UAV detection and interception systems and portable counter-drone systems, to strengthen its capacity to detect and intercept low-altitude UAVs. Border security forces have set up counter-drone systems along the border to effectively detect and neutralize cross-border UAV operations. The Indian Air Force has introduced kamikaze-based anti-drone swarm systems and other relevant equipment to vigorously enhance its ability to counter drone swarm attacks.

An analysis of the information on Indian military units receiving counter-unmanned aerial vehicle (C-UAV) systems reveals that the Navy, Army, Border Security Force and Air Force each adopt and deploy different types of C-UAV systems tailored to their respective mission characteristics and operational environments. In the section covering information on delivered C-UAV systems, this report elaborates on the performance, features and working principles of multiple delivered systems including the 30mm AK-630M CIWS close-in naval gun weapon system.

  An analysis of the types of counter-UAV delivery systems covers electronic jamming, kinetic kill, directed energy, loitering munition attack and integrated types. These systems complement one another to form a multi-layered counter-UAV defense system. An evaluation of the effectiveness of counter-UAV delivery systems reveals that each type has distinct advantages and disadvantages in detection, soft kill, hard kill and multi-target engagement. A comprehensive comparative analysis enables a clearer understanding of their operational capabilities against unmanned aerial vehicles.

  Based on open-source intelligence, the author has collected and sorted out the delivery updates of counter-unmanned aerial vehicle (C-UAV) systems deployed to frontline units of the Indian military from 2024 to early 2025, and summarized the basic profiles of Indian military units receiving such systems as well as the relevant C-UAV equipment based on these updates. In addition, this report elaborates on the specific parameters of the C-UAV systems delivered to Indian frontline troops, and conducts in-depth research and analysis on the categories and counter-drone performance of these systems. At the end of the report, an analysis and discussion are provided regarding the characteristics of C-UAV system deliveries to Indian frontline units, future delivery trends, and the impacts brought by the deployment of these systems, for readers' reference. Comments and corrections are welcome for any incomplete or inaccurate content.