ITBP Expands Drone Units and Fortifications Along LAC

As of 23 October 2026, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) is expanding its drone capabilities, training programmes and border infrastructure along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The Union Home Ministry has approved a modernisation scheme worth about ₹4,000 crore, including ₹1,000 crore for drone and anti-drone systems.

ITBP and the Line of Actual Control

The ITBP was raised on 24 October 1962 and functions under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs as one of India’s Central Armed Police Forces. Its principal border-guarding responsibility is along the India-China frontier. The LAC is the de facto boundary separating Indian- and Chinese-controlled territory; its alignment has not been mutually delineated in full. The LAC is commonly described in three sectors: the western sector in Ladakh, the middle sector in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, and the eastern sector in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. ITBP border posts operate at altitudes ranging from 9,000 to 18,750 feet.

Drone units, commandos and training

The ITBP has formed drone platoons in all its border units and is training personnel to operate drones and develop related technologies. The government has allocated ₹400 crore for upgrading the force’s drone capabilities, with approximately 70 per cent directed towards drone warfare. The force has established Shaurya commandos for deployment in every border battalion. It has also introduced a “Strike” training course to prepare personnel for confrontations resembling the Galwan Valley clash of June 2020. ITBP Director General Shatrujeet Singh Kapoor said on 23 October 2026 that drone warfare had become essential, citing the Russia-Ukraine war.

Border posts and underground facilities

Between 2022 and 2024, the ITBP added 29 Border Outposts along the India-China frontier, taking the total to 209. The posts span the western, middle and eastern sectors of the LAC. In January 2025, then ITBP Director General Rahul Rasgotra stated that 33 of 56 designated border posts had been moved closer to the front under a forwardisation plan. The ITBP is scaling up construction of underground shelters along the border. These facilities are intended to provide fortified positions less exposed to aerial bombardment.

Important Facts for Exams

• The ITBP was raised on 24 October 1962, following the 1962 India-China conflict.
• The LAC is divided into western, middle and eastern sectors.
• The Galwan Valley clash occurred in June 2020 in eastern Ladakh.
• The ITBP operates under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.