Editor's Pick: Drone threat

On Sunday, the Jammu and Kashmir administration banned the sale and use of unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly known as drones. This decision comes after the blast on June 27 at the Air Force Station in Jammu, 14 km from the Line of Control, which was triggered by explosive devices dropped by drones. At least two drone attacks on military points have been attempted since. While Pakistan-based syndicates have used drones in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir in recent years, to smuggle arms, ammunition and drugs, this was the first time that drones were being used to drop explosives. Parts of India, such as Tamil Nadu and Kerala, have been put on high alert following the blast in which there were no casualties. Indian authorities strongly suspect that the Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Pakistan-based terror outfit which was responsible for the Mumbai blasts of 2008, was behind the attack. On June 26, a drone was spotted over the Indian High Commission in Pakistan. Calling it a "breach of security", the Ministry of External Affairs said that it has taken up the issue officially with the Government of Pakistan. A day after the attack in Jammu, India told the United Nations General Assembly that the possibility of the use of weaponised drones for terrorist activities against strategic and commercial assets demands serious attention. Weaponised drone attacks have proliferated in recent years. The Islamic State carried out drone attacks in Iraq and Syria. In 2018, an airbase in Syria came under attack by drones. Later that year, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro narrowly escaped a 'drone assassination' attempt. In 2019, drones attacked two of Saudi Arabia's oil processing facilities crippling about half of the country's total oil production. The misuse of technology and the escalation of the threat of unconventional strategies have made the task of combating terror even more challenging. Drones are low-cost, easily available, and don't necessarily require terrorist groups to control them. While the Defense Research and Development Organisation has deployed an anti-drone technology for short ranges, other measures are being taken to tackle this problem in India. The Navy, for instance, is procuring Smash-2000 rifles to counter drones. Meanwhile, private companies are racing to develop anti-drone technologies for India in collaboration with global manufacturers. While India has put in place an elaborate counterterrorism and security architecture, the drone attack points to an urgent need for an ever-growing and multi-pronged approach to keep up with rapidly evolving technologies. This is what makes this story the top pick of the day. The Hindu's Editorials Mixed bag: on Indian merchandise exports Covid shield: on the new CM of Uttarakhand Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor's Pick and more. Click here Try out The Hindu's daily news quiz Whose record did Mithali Raj beat to become the highest run-getter in women’s international cricket across all formats? 1. Enid Bakewell 2. Charlotte Edwards 3. Belinda Clark 4. Rachel Hayhoe-Flint To find out the answer and play the full quiz, click here [logo] Editor's Pick 05 JULY 2021 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [Arrow]( [Open in browser]( [Mail icon]( [More newsletters]( Drone threat [Drone threat] On Sunday, the Jammu and Kashmir administration [banned the sale and use of unmanned aerial vehicles]( commonly known as drones. This decision comes after the [blast on June 27]( at the Air Force Station in Jammu, 14 km from the Line of Control, which was triggered by explosive devices dropped by drones. At least two drone attacks on military points have been attempted since. While Pakistan-based syndicates have used drones in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir in recent years, to smuggle arms, ammunition and drugs, this was the first time that[drones were being used]( to drop explosives. Parts of India, such as Tamil Nadu and Kerala, have been put on high alert following the blast in which there were no casualties. Indian [authorities strongly suspect]( that the Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Pakistan-based terror outfit which was responsible for the Mumbai blasts of 2008, was behind the attack. On June 26, a [drone was spotted over the Indian High Commission]( in Pakistan. Calling it a "breach of security", the Ministry of External Affairs said that it has taken up the issue officially with the Government of Pakistan. A day after the attack in Jammu, [India told the United Nations General Assembly]( that the possibility of the use of weaponised drones for terrorist activities against strategic and commercial assets demands serious attention. Weaponised drone attacks have proliferated in recent years. The Islamic State carried out drone attacks in Iraq and Syria. In 2018, an airbase in Syria came under attack by drones. Later that year, [Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro narrowly escaped]( a 'drone assassination' attempt. In 2019,[drones attacked two of Saudi Arabia's oil processing facilities]( crippling about half of the country's total oil production. The misuse of technology and the escalation of the threat of unconventional strategies have made the task of combating terror even more challenging. Drones are low-cost, easily available, and don't necessarily require terrorist groups to control them. While the Defense Research and Development Organisation has deployed an anti-drone technology for short ranges, other [measures are being taken]( to tackle this problem in India. The Navy, for instance, is procuring Smash-2000 rifles to counter drones. Meanwhile, private companies are racing to develop anti-drone technologies for India in collaboration with global manufacturers. While India has put in place an elaborate counterterrorism and security architecture, the drone attack points to an urgent need for an ever-growing and multi-pronged approach to keep up with rapidly evolving technologies. This is what makes this story the top pick of the day. The Hindu's Editorials [Arrow][Mixed bag: on Indian merchandise exports]( [Arrow][Covid shield: on the new CM of Uttarakhand]( [underlineimg] Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor's Pick and more. [Click here]( [underlineimg] Try out The Hindu's daily news quiz Whose record did Mithali Raj beat to become the highest run-getter in women’s international cricket across all formats? 1. Enid Bakewell 2. Charlotte Edwards 3. Belinda Clark 4. 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