BIRDS of prey are being trained to swoop in and take down illegal drones.
The winged warriors are sent up to strike the unmanned machines — used by criminals to fly drugs and weapons.
The Indian army has used both eagles and black kites in anti-drone missions.
It has even mounted head cameras on the birds to record footage which can be reviewed afterwards.
The tech was on display in the capital New Delhi this week before Monday’s Republic Day parade.
India’s Remount Veterinary Corps, which is responsible for breeding, rearing and training all army animals, first tried using eagles to wipe out drones in 2022.
Chiefs found the birds would hunt the machines as if they were prey.
They then disabled the propellers with their talons, causing the drones to plunge to the ground.
An army report at the time stated: “The eagles have taken down several hundred of them in training.
“At times they destroyed them completely.”
“Since these are quadcopters, none of the eagles have been injured so far.”
The majority of the birds which have been involved in the anti-drone operations are rescued from captivity.
