Kolkata, Dec 12 : After the Indian Army displayed its latest ‘weapon’ at Auli in Uttarakhand during Ex Yudh Abhyas with the US Army, there was at least one person in the country following the media coverage and video footage keenly.
This ‘weapon’ displayed by the Indian Army is a living being named ‘Arjun’. He is a Black Kite – a medium-sized raptor found across Asia. He has been trained to attack and bring down quadcopter drones flying in from across the border with narcotics or weapons caches.
Arjun has already mastered the technique over the last two years but will continue to receive training along with his feathered friends. Their other job will be surveillance and recording all movements along the borders and beyond. They have been fitted with cameras for this.
The man keeping watch on this development keenly was Shahid Khan, India’s only registered Falconer who has been allowed to keep Falcons and display the lost sport of Falconry.
The sport of Falconry in India dates back to 600 BCE, historians say. It was practiced by royals in the state of Rajasthan. Khan is from Rajasthan and has been fighting a lone battle to protect Falcons that may also be trained to bring down flying objects, whether birds or drones.
After the population of Falcons fell drastically and the species was declared endangered, the Indian government banned the sport of Falconry in India. Khan, however, had another take on this subject. He always maintained that Falconry had nothing to do with the decline in the population of Falcons in the country. It had to do with the indiscriminate use of pesticides and insecticides that also took a toll on other bird species. He insisted that captive breeding of Falcons by experts was the only way to revive the population of these magnificent birds
In 1999, the Government of India made an exception. It granted permission to Khan to own Falcons and display Falconry. Khan may never have propagated the idea of using birds of prey for military use but he was keen about using them to ward off bird strikes near the major airports. He has always felt that such efforts will help bring back the elegant raptors to the Indian skies.
Arjun may not be a Falcon but his role as a ‘soldier’ may help in amending laws regarding the sport using raptors. A Black Kite is nearly the same size as an Indian Falcon. The Army’s Remount and Veterinary Corps that trained Arjun to become a ‘drone destroyer’ may also use Falcons in days to come. Not only birds, but also men will have to be trained as handlers.
Many of those interested in Falconry feel that this move by the Indian Army may encourage the government to lift the ban on the sport. Many more people could then come forward in the captive breeding of Falcons and other raptors, giving them a fresh lease of life out in the wild.
India is not the first country to put birds to military use. The Netherlands has also used raptors to tackle drones. So has the French Air Force. The stress now should be on training of both the bird and its handler, as an Indian Army officer pointed out. There needs to be perfect co-ordination or a bird swooping down on a quadcopter could be brought down by friendly fire. It also has to be ensured that birds used for surveillance are flying high enough so as not to be shot down by those across the border.
“There are many technicalities involved. This is just the beginning. It takes years to train a bird fully. The Black Kite has been chosen as it has a lifespan of over 20 years. They are also found in abundance in the skies over Indian cities and towns and are quite friendly towards humans. We have achieved a lot of success till now and are keeping our fingers crossed regarding the future,” the officer said.
