Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed inaugurated the Shimanto School of Surveillance and Drone Warfare on Tuesday at the Border Guard Bangladesh sector headquarters in Sylhet, marking the country’s first dedicated training facility of its kind. Located roughly 55 kilometres from the Indian border and about 115 kilometres south of Meghalaya’s capital Shillong, the school will train BGB personnel to operate advanced drones equipped with thermal imaging and night vision technology.
Ahmed unveiled the facility’s nameplate as chief guest, following a welcome address from BGB Director General Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui and remarks from Sylhet Sector Commander Colonel Mohammad Salahuddin. The inauguration included a demonstration of training activities, a live drone flight, and an operational drill.
Why the Focus on Drones
Ahmed said ensuring security through ground personnel alone is extremely difficult in remote, heavily forested border areas. Drones fitted with night vision and thermal imaging, he explained, will allow round-the-clock digital surveillance in exactly the kind of terrain where manual patrols struggle most. He said this expanded surveillance capacity is meant to help identify smuggling routes and curb drug trafficking, arms trafficking, human trafficking, and illegal border crossings.
Beyond security functions, Ahmed pointed to the humanitarian side of drone use, noting that BGB personnel have already used drones successfully for rescue operations in remote parts of the Chittagong Hill Tracts and to deliver relief materials directly to hard-to-reach locations during disasters.
Training Now, Expansion Later
The school’s initial cohort is drawn entirely from BGB personnel, but Ahmed indicated the program is designed to grow. He said the training curriculum would eventually expand to include civilian personnel, equipping a wider pool of people with drone operation and surveillance skills as the technology becomes more central to border management. He also said BGB is now assembling and manufacturing some of its own drones domestically, a capability he suggested could grow into a broader defence industry over time, and that the force plans to acquire more advanced drone models from around the world within the next one to two years.
Part of a Larger Modernisation Push
The Sylhet school fits into a wider technological overhaul underway at BGB, built around what the force calls “3I” capabilities: information, identification, and intervention. That effort already includes infrared sensors, night-vision equipment, and CCTV coverage along border zones, with radar systems and satellite monitoring planned as future additions. The Sylhet facility joins existing drone installations in Lalmonirhat in the north and Magura in the southwest, rounding out a network positioned along different stretches of Bangladesh’s frontier.
The demonstration in Sylhet also featured anti-drone defence systems, showcasing how BGB units detect, track, and disable unidentified or hostile drones entering Bangladeshi airspace, a capability regional reporting has linked to concerns about drone activity originating from across the border.
A Regional Backdrop
The push toward more sophisticated aerial surveillance also lines up with a separate track of cooperation between Bangladesh and the United States. Washington has been working with Bangladesh’s Army and Navy to build out an unmanned aerial systems capability, including plans for a joint regiment to operate the RQ-21 Blackjack system for maritime and border monitoring. The US has previously supplied patrol vessels, surveillance drones, transport aircraft, and armed vehicles to Bangladesh’s armed forces, alongside a growing calendar of joint military exercises in recent years.
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What This Signals Going Forward
For a border force long constrained by difficult terrain and limited manpower, the Sylhet school represents a shift toward treating drone capability as core infrastructure rather than a specialised add-on. Ahmed framed the broader push as part of building a Bangladesh driven by talent, technology, and knowledge, language that suggests this training centre is intended as a first step rather than a standalone project.
FAQ
What is the Shimanto School of Surveillance and Drone Warfare?
It is Bangladesh’s first dedicated training facility for border surveillance and drone warfare, established at the BGB’s Sylhet sector headquarters and inaugurated on September 1, 2026.
What kind of drones will personnel be trained on?
Advanced drones equipped with thermal imaging and night-vision technology, designed for round-the-clock surveillance in remote and forested border terrain.
Will civilians eventually be trained at the school?
Officials have said the program currently trains BGB personnel only, but it is expected to expand to civilian participants in the future.
Summary: Bangladesh has inaugurated its first Shimanto School of Surveillance and Drone Warfare in Sylhet, aimed at strengthening border monitoring with thermal and night-vision drone technology.
