Combating Armed Groups: Colombia Unveils First Drone Battalion

The Colombian Army has unveiled its first drone battalion equipped with artificial intelligence (AI). It is intended for use against guerrilla groups and organizations involved in drug trafficking and illegal mining. According to the army leadership, it is the first battalion of its kind in Latin America.

The drones, presented on Friday at the Tolemaida Air Base in the center of the country, the most important training center of the Colombian Armed Forces, have multiple propellers and resemble small helicopters in design. Equipped with AI technology, the aircraft are capable of identifying faces or tracking vehicles. Some have a flight range of up to 45 kilometers.

According to the army leadership, approximately 400 pilots with a corresponding number of drones will form a special base to be established in the administrative region of Boyacá in northeastern Colombia. “All these drones allow us to observe from the air in a way we couldn't before,” said General Carlos Padilla, commander of the Army's Air Division, to the news agency AFP.

Explosive Attacks with Drones

“The conflict in Colombia has evolved due to technological advancements, especially with these small unmanned aerial vehicles,” Padilla continued. According to the army, since last year, groups, some of which have emerged from the FARC guerrilla movement (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) and do not adhere to the peace agreement concluded between the government and FARC in 2016, have increasingly carried out attacks with homemade drones capable of dropping explosives. According to Padilla, in the last year and a half, there have been more than 350 attacks in Colombia, resulting in 15 soldiers killed and approximately 170 injured. The drone battalion is intended to attack and repel illegal armed groups, it is stated.

Due to the increase in drone attacks on security forces and the fact that these devices are used for espionage of authorities or for committing crimes, the Colombian Ministry of Defense already presented a draft law in the summer. This aims to create a legal framework for the import, manufacture, use, distribution, and control of drones and anti-drone systems. Among other things, the draft provides for the establishment of a national register of companies that manufacture or sell drones, as well as individuals who acquire drones.

(akn)