The New Drone War: How Pakistan Is Bombarding Punjab With Heavy Payloads & Turkish Arms Ahead Of Polls | Exclusive
The New Drone War: How Pakistan Is Bombarding Punjab With Heavy Payloads & Turkish Arms Ahead Of Polls | Exclusive Reported By, Last Updated: June
The New Drone War: How Pakistan Is Bombarding Punjab With Heavy Payloads & Turkish Arms Ahead Of Polls | Exclusive Reported By, Last Updated: June 13, 2026, 07:30 IST Data compiled by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and state law enforcement reveals a stark escalation in both the frequency and volume of these cross-border aerial incursions A drone after it was gunned down by Border Security Force (BSF) along the India-Pakistan border, near Amritsar. File pic/ANI Ahead of the highly anticipated assembly elections in Punjab, state and central security agencies are grappling with an unprecedented surge in drone-dropped consignments originating from Pakistan. Data compiled by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and state law enforcement reveals a stark escalation in both the frequency and volume of these cross-border aerial incursions. In 2025, drone-based seizures accounted for 468 kg of narcotics across 305 distinct incidentsāa nearly fifty-fold increase in volume compared to five years ago, when just 10 kg of narcotics was seized across three incidents in 2021. The trajectory has moved sharply upward, with 148 kg seized in 2022 across 35 instances, followed by 103 kg in 2023 across 28 incidents, and 236 kg in 2024 across 179 incidents. The momentum has intensified dramatically in 2026. By the first week of June alone, Punjab Police had already seized 516 kg of heroin, surpassing the entire total of the previous year.
Alongside the narcotics, state police have intercepted 122 firearmsāincluding a grenadeā909 rounds of ammunition, and 139 drones. Alarmingly, Punjab now accounts for approximately 58 per cent of all heroin smuggled into India. Proliferation of Foreign-Made Small Arms While the influx of narcotics poses a severe public health and enforcement challenge, security agencies are equally concerned by the simultaneous drop of high-end, foreign-made small arms. Weapons recovered along the border have been traced back to Chinese, Austrian, and Turkish manufacturers. According to senior officials within the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), cross-border syndicates have compromised segments of the local border population, effectively utilising them as localised weapon couriers. Intelligence indicates that the drone-dropped narcotics often serve as direct payment for these couriers, whose primary responsibility is to transport the illicit firearms to organised criminal gangs within Punjab and occasionally to active terror modules operating in Jammu and Kashmir. This cross-border supply chain was underscored on June 9, when the Baramulla Police in Jammu and Kashmir, working in a joint operation with the 52 Rashtriya Rifles, intercepted a white Maruti Brezza traveling from Srinagar towards Baramulla. A thorough search of the vehicle yielded a sophisticated, Turkish-manufactured pistolāa CANIK TP9SF METE (9Ć19 mm)āwhich intelligence agencies suspect was originally smuggled into the region via the Punjab aerial drone route. Defence experts warn that this steady influx of small arms is directly fuelling domestic instability.
Security analyst Lieutenant General (Retired) K Singh noted that these smuggled munitions are increasingly being leveraged to hit high-profile targets within the region, pointing to recent security incidents near Army and BSF bases in Jalandhar and Amritsar, as well as a targeted attack on a political office in Chandigarh. Evolution in Smuggling Strategy An analysis by the regional security grid reveals a sophisticated shift in Pakistanās aerial deployment strategy. Previously, smugglers relied heavily on commercial, Chinese-origin agricultural dronesāoriginally intended for pesticide spraying in Pakistanās Punjab provinceāto ferry contraband into India. These older platforms, such as the DJI Mavic 3, were limited to a payload capacity of approximately 0.5 kg and possessed a shorter operational range, preventing them from penetrating deep into Indian territory. In contrast, current operations utilise highly advanced, custom-built quadcopters capable of carrying payloads between 5 kg and 10 kg. These newer machines operate at significantly higher altitudes and with minimal acoustic signatures, making visual and auditory detection exceptionally difficult for border patrols. Furthermore, these sophisticated drones are programmed to automatically wipe their internal GPS and flight data logs upon landing or interception, systematically blinding investigators to their precise geographic points of origin. The Satellite Communication Challenge Perhaps the most formidable challenge currently facing the electronic warfare grid is the suspected adoption of satellite-based internet services by cross-border handlers. Traditional counter-drone measures rely heavily on jamming standard radio frequencies (RF) to neutralise communication between the pilot and the drone.
However, satellite-linked communication completely bypasses the localised radio spectrum, rendering conventional jamming equipment largely ineffective. The reality of this technological pivot became apparent during a major enforcement operation in Ferozepur on May 24. Punjab Police arrested four suspects, recovering 28.12 kg of heroin and 9.5 lakh rupees in cash. Preliminary investigations strongly indicate that the operatives were receiving real-time logistical instructions from Pakistani handlers via encrypted satellite internet links. In response, central security agencies are rapidly recalibrating their interception strategies to counter this highly resilient digital threat ahead of the upcoming electoral cycle. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit About the Author Arunima Arunima is Editor (Home Affairs) and covers strategic, security and political affairs. From the Ukraine-Russia War to the India-China stand-off in Ladakh to India-Pak clashes, she has reported from gr... Read More First Published: June 13, 2026, 07:30 IST News india The New Drone War: How Pakistan Is Bombarding Punjab With Heavy Payloads & Turkish Arms Ahead Of Polls | Exclusive Disclaimer: Comments reflect usersā views, not News18ās. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
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