Question
Which of the following statements with regard to drone swarms is/are correct?
1. They use Terahertz band of frequency to communicate with the command centre.
2. Individual drones in the swarm can communicate with other drones in the swarm.
3. GPS Spoofing is a commonly used technique to counter drone swarm attack.
Explanation
Drone swarms combine communication, autonomous coordination and navigation technologies to operate collectively. Their decentralized nature also makes them a significant challenge for modern defence systems.
Statement 1 — Incorrect: Drones generally communicate with ground control through Radio Frequency (RF) links or satellite communication (SATCOM). Terahertz (THz) communication is still largely experimental and is better suited to short-range, high-speed communication, rather than long-range links with command centres.
Statement 2 — Correct: A key feature of a drone swarm is decentralized coordination. Drones communicate with each other through networks such as ad-hoc mesh networks to share information, maintain formations, avoid collisions and respond to changing conditions without depending entirely on a central controller.
Statement 3 — Correct: Electronic Warfare (EW) is an important countermeasure against drone swarms. GPS spoofing works by transmitting false navigation signals, potentially misleading drones, altering their course or causing them to land or malfunction.
Therefore, Statements 2 and 3 are correct.