Country's first border surveillance, drone warfare training centre inaugurated in sylhet

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has officially inaugurated the country’s first specialized training institute ‘Shimanto School of Surveillance and Drone Warfare’ (SSSDW) in Sylhet with the aim of making the border security system more modern and technology-dependent.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed inaugurated the institute on Tuesday (September 1). This information has been given in a press release sent from BGB’s Sylhet Battalion (48 BGB). After the inauguration, the home minister visited the institute’s complex and display centre. At that time, Acting Commandant Colonel Mohammad Salah Uddin informed him about the institute’s training activities, modern infrastructure and the use of various types of drones in BGB’s operations.

The home minister was informed that specialised training will be given to create skilled drone pilots alongside further increasing the use of drones in border surveillance and security activities. Various aspects of drone operation, aerial surveillance and conducting technology-dependent operations on the border were highlighted at that time.

As part of the inaugural ceremony, a special ‘drone manoeuvre’ exercise was held on the training ground with the participation of BGB’s trained drone pilots. In it, the operational activities of BGB’s six-man patrol team were observed through drones and the practical application of the technology was shown in various situations in border areas.

In the exercise, the strategies of identifying, surveilling and apprehending suspects through drones in anti-smuggling operations were demonstrated. Alongside this, the effectiveness of the anti-drone system in preventing push-in through the border and identifying and controlling infiltrators or unknown drones was also highlighted.

In the final phase of the programme, a ‘drone fly-past’ was displayed with various types of drones joined in BGB, including Mavic drones. Through this, the practical capability of modern drone technology in border surveillance, preventing smuggling and security activities was highlighted.