As Indian defence forces transform themselves into leanmean modern fighting
machines, communication and networking undoubtedly are going to play a very
strategic and tactical role not just in electronic warfare but also in
conventional battles and wars. Realizing this, the three wings of the Indian
armed forces — the army, navy and air force have been investing heavily in
modernizing their communications network by adopting several new technologies.
The US led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have amply demonstrated the significance
of communication and information technologies in the success of military
campaigns, a senior defence ministry official emphasizes.
Towards Convergence
According to the latest Ministry of Defence annual report, procurement of
state-of-the-art communication equipment and systems has brought about
substantial qualitative improvements in the communication capability of the
Army. Some of the major procurements are: RS HX long-range frequency-hopping
high frequency radio sets, Hand-Held Walkie-Talkie Radio Sets, Interception
Receiver AR 5000, Radio Set 5 Watt/20 Watt VHF, and Radio Set 5 Watt/50Watt VHF
for Armoured Fighting Vehicles. A countrywide-secured value-added backbone data
network is also being established connecting the important formation
headquarters of the army.
Convergence
of technologies is the buzzword in the army. A perfect example of the adoption
of convergence technology is the recently commissioned high-tech-Dhruva
Satellite Communications Network. The army communication set-up in Jammu and
Kashmir has got a new edge with this as voice, data, and video confronting
facilities will now be available in most operational locations in the state. No
doubt, the project is considered as yet another step towards convergence of
technologies and providing the Army with the state-of-the-art communications in
perhaps the most hostile terrain in the world. This state of the art secure
satellite network has the world's highest V-SAT terminal located at an
altitude of 18,631 ft. This network is integrated with the Eastern Theater
Satellite Network one of the densest satellite communication network within the
country. The unique and innovative feature of this network is the high-density
pipeline using satellite transponders, a concept inducted for the first time in
the country. During the commissioning of the network, the Signal
Officer-in-Chief Lt Gen Davinder Kumar VSM and Bar stated that operational
necessity, self-reliance, security and information assurance were the keys to
provisioning of this high end technology fully secure satellite communication
network for the Army. The network has been fully integrated with the Army's
terrestrial network to increase its range and efficacy with a view to met the
challenges of the digital battlefield of tomorrow.
Another
example of convergence is the Combat Net Radio - a frequency hopping radio for
data and voice communication used in armoured fighting vehicles. User trials of
the Combat Net Radio have been completed successfully.
Keeping in mind the needs of electronic warfare, Development and field trials
of Communication segment of Samyukta (an Electronic Warfare Programme for Army)
have been completed and production orders for Samyukta communication segment has
been placed.
Strengthening the Air Defence
According to the Ministry of Defence report, various state-of-the-art
communication networks like Integrated Air Command, Control and Communication
System (IACCCS), Aerostat, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), Prithvi Tactical Air
Centre (TAC) / Joint Air Defence Centre (JADC) / Delhi Area Defence Centre (DADC)
/ Control and Reporting Centre (CRC) etc. are being planned using Fibre Optic
Media (FOMedia), satellite and microwaves system for effective and efficient
integration of Air Defence Operation Elements like fighter aircraft squadrons,
radars, Command Headquarters etc. Also the existing Air Defence Ground
Environment System (ADGES) communications network is being modernized with
Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) technology using Fibre Optic Media.
State-of-the-art radar and communication systems such as Aerostar, Low Level
Light Weight Radars (LLLWR) etc are under various stages of induction to provide
effective Air Defence against enemy attack.
According
the annual report, the IAF has made significant progress by using space
technologies in the field of communications, surveillance and reconnaissance,
search and rescue. INSAT series of satellites are used for communications, while
IRS series of satellites are used for imaging. India has obtained the capability
of 1 metre resolution imaging through Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRS)-TES.
Securing the Seas
Indian Navy recently commissioned a Navy Wide Network named Navy Enterprise
Wide Network (NEWN) Sanchar Project to ensure fast and secure data transfer and
connectivity. The project was completed at a cost of Rs. 35 crore. The navy is
in the process of implementing communication projects worth around Rs. 210 crore.