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*Tactical Guidelines for Surviving and Countering Drone Warfare

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

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