Sawt Falasteen - Colombian army looks to outsmart guerrillas with drone warfare

Hovering at an altitude of up to 1,000 meters (3,280 feet), the remote-control-operated device can fire 60-caliber grenades with an impact that destroys everything within a 15-meter radius.

The shiny new device is the latest addition to the army's arsenal as official forces play catch-up with guerrilla groups, who in recent months have been raining destruction with deadly homemade drones loaded with explosives.

The military response comes just days before presidential elections on May 31 and as violence in Colombia surges to its worst levels in a decade.

AFP was given exclusive access to a demonstration in the Sogamoso municipality, around 210 kilometers (130 miles) from Bogota, and watched as 16 grenades were dropped one by one onto a test range below.

"This puts us on equal footing" with illegal groups, said Andres Julian Salamanca, 37, an electrical engineer who helped develop the system.

- Paradigm shift -

Colombia is thus becoming one of the few Latin American countries -- alongside Venezuela -- using drones to combat crime.

The move marks a paradigm shift for the military, which has spent decades fighting guerrilla groups that make money via drug trafficking and illegal mining.

Drawing inspiration from the Russia-Ukraine war, these groups have turned to drone warfare, conducting attacks against civilians and military personnel in regions with tricky terrain.

Usually purchasing them online, guerrillas use the devices to target schools, Indigenous settlements and military bases -- so much so that the hum of a drone has become synonymous with terror in remote areas.

At least 8,000 drone attacks killed 20 people and injured almost 300 more in 2025, according to the defense ministry.

"Drones are an essential part of modern warfare. They are becoming cheaper and more lethal," said Willy Gaitan, manager of state-owned weapons manufacturer Indumil's plant in Sogamoso.

The grenade factory also began designing launchers at the request of Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez in October 2023.

Leftist President Gustavo Petro has promoted domestic arms production following the suspension of Colombian partnerships with Israel in 2024.

He has also pushed a project worth over $1.6 billion to acquire an anti-drone system.

- 'Cat-and-mouse' -

The Colombian defense industry is hailing these developments as a technological breakthrough in the fight against armed groups.

Indumil is now hoping to increase the number of grenades a drone can carry and to increase the caliber of the projectiles to boost their destructive power.

Salamanca called the military's current drone tactics "a cat-and-mouse game."

"As militias gain capabilities, the government is looking for ways to counter them," he said.

The conflict-ridden country will vote Sunday for a new president, with polls predicting a June 21 runoff between leftist Senator Ivan Cepeda and right-wing millionaire lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella.

While Cepeda wants to continue Petro's strategy of negotiating peace with armed groups, De la Espriella has pledged an all-out return to war.

U.Shaheen--SF-PST