Asim Riaz
This guide outlines essential field practices for all combat units to recognize, evade, and counter modern drone threats. With the increasing use of commercial and military-grade drones in hybrid and conventional warfare, survivability now depends on adaptation, concealment, and rapid tactical shift.
*1. Drones Are Always Watching*
Whether seen or heard, always presume drone surveillance is active. Mini and micro UAVs can remain undetected and operate continuously—day, night, and in all weather. Complacency kills.
__Reminder:__
_No buzz doesn’t mean no eyes._
*2. Deploy Drone Detectors*
Each fighting element must carry at least one drone detection device, such as the ‘BULAT’ or other SIGINT-compatible systems. Early detection gives time to react.
__Reminder:__
_One detector is cheaper than one funeral._
*3. Visual Silence ≠ Safety*
Silence overhead doesn’t imply safety. Drones observe from 2–5 km using electro-optical, IR, and thermal payloads. Movement discipline is key.
__Reminder:__
_If you can be seen, you can be hit._
*4. Expect Attacks from Flanks or Rear*
Drone strikes rarely come head-on. Operators exploit blind spots. Maintain 360-degree situational awareness. Assign flank and rear watchers.
__Reminder:__
_What you don’t watch will kill you._
*5. Night Does Not Equal Cover*
Night-flying drones use thermal optics to track body heat. A cigarette, group formation, or exposed skin can compromise you. Use thermal blankets or sheets.
__Reminder:__
_At night, your heat is your signal._
*6. Move at Heat Peaks or Dusk*
Thermal cameras are weakest when ground and air temperatures match. Move during the hottest hours or 30–40 minutes after sunset.
__Reminder:__
_Ground Heat blinds thermals. Use it to move._
*7. Playing Dead Doesn’t Work*
Thermal imaging reveals body heat even when motionless or hidden under debris. Don’t rely on stillness or makeshift camouflage.
__Reminder:__
_For a drone, body heat is louder than your mouth._
*8.
Sanitize All Terrain
Trash, wrappers, shell casings, and even feces reveal past movement. Drones use these cues to direct strikes or track units. Clear all signs before moving.
__Reminder:__
_Today’s Trash is Tomorrow’s target_
*9. Dust Equals Death*
Vehicles on dry terrain raise dust columns visible from kilometers away. Drones use this to fix and finish. If vehicle movement is unavoidable, time it carefully.
__Reminder:__
_Dust trails draw drones. Use discipline or risk destruction._
*10. Shift Mental Models*
This is no longer a frontal battlefield. It is vertical, persistent, and precise. Think like a drone operator. Move like a saboteur—slow, concealed, unpredictable.
__Reminder:__
_Think like a drone. Move like a ghost._
*11. No Clumping*
Avoid grouping close together. Drones seek clusters. One munition can eliminate a squad. Spread out during halts, rest, or patrol.
__Reminder:__
_Clumps are for corpses._
*12. React to Buzz Immediately*
If you hear a buzzing drone, stop, disperse, conceal heat, and get under hard cover. Seconds count. Hesitation kills.
__Reminder:__
_Buzzing means bombing. Disappear fast._
Note: This is not the battlefield of yesterday. Surveillance is constant. Strikes are remote. Complacency invites death. Mastery of terrain, concealment, and behavior is survival.
Asim Riaz
June 28, 2025
*MPhil Strategic Studies*
*National Defence University*
Islamabad