Precision strikes: Minimising soldier casualties through modern technology

Though the war drums have sounded both in India and Pakistan, mercifully the dogs of war have not yet been quite let loose! This has been primarily because of the new strategy being adopted by both adversaries – rather than begin their needless conflict by having footfalls of soldiers on the battle arena, so far, the tactic has been to use laser-guided missiles and bombs, drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), befitting the way a modern war is fought.

Apart from keeping the loss of lives of soldiers to a minimum, such a remotely fought battle increases precision of strikes and enables immediate responses, since the complicated logistics required for troop deployments can also be avoided.

Moreover, both the combatants have been acquiring drone fleets without great fanfare, and are sufficiently equipped to carry on silent but effective strikes. According to experts, India’s drone fleet is largely built around Israeli-made reconnaissance UAVs like the IAI Searcher and Heron, along with Harpy and Harop loitering munitions, while Pakistan’s drone fleet comprises drones from China, Turkey and domestic manufacturers, such as the Chinese CH-4, the Turkish Bayraktar Akinci, and Pakistan’s own Burraq and Shahpar drones.

Reports are already coming in of scores of drones being shot down by each other’s air defence systems, thereby demonstrating the extensive use of UAVs in the battle arena.

Expectedly, a war scenario, which is always accompanied by wildly exaggerated claims and counter-claims by the adversaries, gives rise to propaganda and misinformation floating about, especially on social media that has become a new component of this particular tussle between the two combatants, who have fought each other before.

Thus, it is difficult to separate facts from fiction and get an actual idea about how the conflict is shaping up. It seems that, apart from being a battle of drones, to some extent the adversaries are employing jet fighters, which accounts for the claims, mostly farfetched, of aircraft being brought down.

What matters most is that on the ground till now, only artillery fire across the border has been engaged in, causing some deaths among the unfortunate people caught in the crossfire, but there has been no attempt at physical crossing by the troops.

Apparently, terrorists have been shot down while attempting to cross the border at Jammu. Despite the two nations being on the war mode till now, the conflict remains in the containable mode, but how long this scenario would last is anybody’s guess.

It is incumbent on the international community to seize upon the opportunity offered by this phase and try to evolve a way by which both India and Pakistan can avoid a full-scale war and the human tragedies this would entail, without losing face.