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Indian Army C4ISR trends
one Viera 0960
Fst published August 22,2014, 1:09 AM IST Updated
The Indian Army (1A) believes that state of the art intelligence
surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) systems can serve to give it an
advantage over even collaborating adversaries on either flank.
As such investment by IA into contemporary ISR systems has been
steadily rising with a view to making the kill chain shorter, garnering
tactical intelligence and even achieving non-kinetic neutralization
capability.
The electronic order of battle (EOB) however requires continuous
upgradation as well as the development of a doctrine dovetailed to the
absorption of new technology. Since ISR systems are a closely guarded
arena and may involve non-negotiable operational security (OPSEC)
considerations indigenous development is an imperative.
Fortunately, the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO)
has been working closely with Indian industry to deliver on this front.
However in a world where one sometimes has to run fast enough just to
stay where they are, the focus should be on scaleable and upgradeable
networks that can also act as enablers of jointness with the Indian Air
force (IAF) and Indian Navy(IN),
Is spend on ISR systems is expected to exceed 5-6 billion dollars by
2020. Large investments have already been made in the area of signals
intelligence (SIGINT) leading to the development of highly capable
products such as the Samyukta electronic warfare (EW) system,
Samyukta, developed by DRDO's Defence Electronics & Research
Laboratory (DLRL) along with IA's Signal Corps is a 145 vehicle based
integrated EW system consisting of electronic intelligence (ELINT),
communications intelligence (COMINT) combined with electronic
countermeasures (ECM) and electronic support measures (ESM) blocks
covering both radar and communication frequency bands ranging from
1.5 MHz - 40 GHz i.e all the way from High Frequency (HF) to Millimetre
Wave (MMW).
Samyukta which is capable of intercepting, detecting and classifying
pulsed, CW, PRF agile, frequency agile and chirp radars is very much in
keeping with the move towards wideband digitally flexible SIGINT
systems in the ISR domain to deal with an increasingly congested and
complex threat spectrum. The key enabler of wideband jamming
capability in the case of Samyukta is a multiple beam jammer array
antenna with Rotman lens that can handle numerous threats
simultaneously in X - Ku bands.
Technology for antennas which provides the necessary interface between
the transmitter/receiver system and free space today is evolving towards
smart, shared aperture, and fractal systems that are increasingly
embracing millimeter, sub-millimeter and quasi-optical radiators. These
new approaches are expected to yield high performance, low-cost,
compact size, lightweight, conformal mounting for low radar cross
section (RCS) array integration leading to higher deployability and stealth.
Micro-electro mechanical systems (MEMS) will be used to produce
reconfigurable electromagnetic structures that can perform multiple
functions instead of being dovetailed to a single use.
The development of ‘smart antennas’ and new advances in core
technologies such as microelectronics are miniaturizing systems in
weight and volume covering a wide frequency range. Smart film materials
are being pursued to package together these wind ranging goals which
are likely to find expression in the follow on to the Samyukta known as
Sauhard being developed by DLRL.
Realizing that though effective, the Samyukta system is meant for large
scale forward deployment in the plains, IA and DLRL are now birthing an
IEWS for mountainous terrain or IEWS-MT. For effective deployment in
high altitude areas, IEWS-MT will obviously have to sport lighter weight
electronic systems and will exhibit some of the new technology features
outlined above. Tata Power SED has been selected as system integrator
for this 186 million US dollar program. TPSED will develop and supply two
IEWS-MT systems that include ECM, ESM packages for electromagnetic
spectrum scanning, location-fixing of enemy transmitters, jamming,
interception of enemy communications, both cellular and radar.
DLRL is also venturing into developing more compact and modular ELINT
systems such as the 'Sujav’ which it says is meant for high accuracy DF
and jamming of communication transceivers. It covers HF, VHF & UHF
ranges and is available in cluster configuration for army use or in suite
configuration for naval usage. It has also developed the ‘Safari’ IED
suppression system for IA and paramilitary forces. DRDO's various
jammers naturally employ digital radio frequency memory (DRFM)
techniques for digital flexibility.
Avery big aspect of staying at the cutting edge of EWis the availability of
dedicated testing and training ranges for the same. In this context the
development of Chitradurga (Karnataka) and Tandur(Andhra Pradesh) as
EA ranges is a very welcome development indeed. These ranges will in all
probability see the use of DARE's Range On Wheels (ROW) concept. ROW
has been developed for evaluation of installed specifications of airborne
EW Systems and for fine tuning EA techniques. This mobile range
consists of representative threat radar, a reference radar, a slaved system
(DASA), a data acquisition station, a mission control station and a
generator vehicle. It can also be used for avionics, and weapon evaluation
since it is capable of studying aerodynamic data in real time for aircrafts,
helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)
Indeed for truly persistent ISR’, |A has to move towards airborne
intelligence systems which will increasingly be based on medium altitude
long endurance (MALE) UAVs in the years ahead that enable an operator
to look 400-500 kilometres deep into enemy territory. Putting together
credible SIGINT packages on UAVs requires not just superior antenna
technology but may end up seeing a generational shift in electronics as
such. Some developers believe that the need to package more capable
ISR payloads combined with management of limited on-board power on
UAVs will lead to Gallium Nitride(GaN) based semi-conductor technology
totally replacing the current Gallium Arsenide(GaAs) in power transistor
devices at the higher end of the frequency spectrum as SIGINT packages
increasingly operate in that part of the spectrum. GaN is preferred over
GaAs in the course of this evolution since it offers exceptional power
density and can operate at higher power levels over higher frequencies
with greater efficiency. In this context India may need to create GaN
foundry capability on an urgent basis.
Even as we watch out for the progress of intelligence packages on UAVs,
a prototype Ku-band synthetic aperture radar(SAR) developed by the
Electronics and Radar Development Establishment (LRDE), DRDO's key
radar lab based in Bangalore, is set to be flight tested on the Nabharatna
Do-228 flying testbed supplied by HAL earlier this year. This indigenous
SAR, which will eventually be carried by the Rustom-2 MALE UAV is
expected to boost medium range battlefield mapping capabilities by
conferring IA with the ability to cover ground the size of an army corps
commander's area of interest from a safe stand-off distance. The
observational element, which will be combined with effective ground
moving target indication (GMT!) will prove rather useful for the various
classes of loitering attack systems that are currently on DRDO's drawing
board.
Systems based on unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) however seem to be
moving faster. DRDO's Combat Vehicles and Research Development
Establishment (CVRDE) has created a family of BMP-II based UGVs called
Mission Unmanned Tracked (MUNTRA). The system consists of a
manned BMP-II unit called MUNTRA-B serving as a base station for three
tele-operated BMP-II based UGVs tailored to specific roles. One UGV
variant dubbed MUNTRA-M uses a VHF band ground penetrating radar
(GPR) developed under DRDO's ‘Divya Chakshu' program to detect buried
IEDs. A CBRNE variant called MUNTRAWN has also been developed.
IA already deploys several battlefield surveillance radars (BFSRs). The
longest ranged BFSR in the IA inventory is the X-band PIT 530 BFSR-MR,
which can detect a group of moving people at 18 km, low flying
helicopters at 25 km, moving vehicles at 40 km and a 155 mm artillery
blast at 15 km. BFSR-MRs are currently deployed with IA's mechanized
infantry units (MIUs). These radars originally designed by ELTA are
currently being produced by BEL under license.
BEL's PJT-531 Battlefield surveillance radar-Short range (BFSR-SR )
however is an indigenous product developed by LRDE in a period of just
24 months in response to a specific qualitative requirement from A
BFSR-SR is a man portable, battery powered J-band surveillance and
acquisition radar capable of detecting crawling men at 500 m, moving
groups of people at 5 km and a group of vehicles at 10 kms. It can track
50 targets in track-while-scan (TWS) mode and displays target
information on a high resolution portable colour PC display. Interestingly,
the BFSR-SR has made it to the MUNTRA program with a MUNTRA-S UGV
carrying it in both tele-operated and autonomous modes. Summer trials
of MUNTRA-S were concluded recently.
lA certainly has been steadily adding to its radio frequency measurement
and signature intelligence (MASINT) capabilities as epitomized by the
acquisition of weapon locating radars (WLR). After buying some eight
‘AN/TPQ-37 WLRs off the shelf from Hughes, IA today has placed
significant orders for the LRDE developed and BEL built Swathi WLR
which is a coherent, electronically scanned C-band pulse doppler radar.
The radar automatically locates hostile artillery, mortars and rocket
launchers and tracks friendly fire to locate the impact point of friendly
artillery fire to issue necessary corrections and is capable of dealing with
counter-battery fire from up to 30 kms away. Swathi WLR has been
specifically designed for high mobility, quick deployment operations in an
ECM environment.
IA of course also has to guard against incoming aircraft and not just
ballistic projectiles. Army Air Defence (AAD) is currently receiving
deliveries of the Bharani Low level Light Weight L-Band 2D Radar which is
a battery powered compact sensor tailored for employment in
mountainous terrain against hostile aerial targets like UAVs, helicopters
and fixed wing aircraft flying at low and medium altitudes. Bharani can be
transported by vehicles, animal transport or a group of men or as a heli-
slung load. It can be dismantled into packages to facilitate quick
installation and re-location in mountainous terrain.
IAis also inducting LRDE's 3D Tactical Control Radar (TCR) in a Tatra WL
mounted configuration for mobile stand-alone medium range, all weather
3D surveillance. Pertinent data can be collected by a Target Data Receiver
(TDR) located 20 Kms away from the Radar. The radar operates in the S-
band and is capable of TWS of fighter sized targets from up to 90kms
away and for UAV sized ones from up to 65 kms away. The TCR's antenna
is mechanically rotated in azimuth to provide 360 deg and 50 deg
elevation coverage up to an altitude of 10 kms.
Clearly radar systems have emerged as a key indigenous strength in the
ISR space. But in the battlefield of today long range electro-optical
sensors complement BFSRs to vastly improve tactical reconnaissance
capability, Till recently, IA was heavily dependent on foreign sources,
especially Israel in this space. Several units of Elbit's Long-Range
Reconnaissance and Observation System(LORROS) are currently
operational with IA. LORROS consists of forward looking infrared (FLIR)
and colour charge-coupled-device (CCD) image sensors, with the option
of also integrating an eye-safe laser rangefinder (LRF), built-in compass
and an inclinometer, which provides UTM location mapping. It can be
operated remotely with a control unit that can be stationed up to several
kilometres away using a fiber -optic channel. This year however BEL
began deliveries of the ‘Kshitij to 1A which is an upgraded version of
LORROS that extends its FLIR range beyond 13 km and was developed
keeping in mind the Line of Actual Control with China. It is expected that
the cheaper Kshitij will allow IA to field it in every battalion.
To make squad level ISR even more commonplace, IA placed orders
worth Rs 700 crores for the Integrated Multi-Function Sight (IMFS)
developed by DRDO's Instruments Research and Development
Establishment (IRDE) which packages a thermal imager (Tl), a LRF, a CCD
camera, a global positioning system GPS and a digital magnetic compass
into a single device weighing just 3.5 kg. However even as indigenous
hand held Tls proliferate, India has to run faster to catch up with the West
in the area of image intensifier tube technology for night vision devices
(NVD). IA is currently on the lookout for mass introduction of third
generation NVDs and the FDI route could actually be pursued for this.
IRDE's IMFS represents a generic trend in ISR technology where multi-
functional payloads are finding their way onto a common platform small
or big. This trend has of course given rise to wide area persistent
surveillance (WAPS) systems that have been born out of American urban
warfare requirements during the Iraq and Afghanistan campaigns. WAPS
allows both wide area coverage as well as narrow view high resolution
ISR simultaneously. Context is maintained even as specific targets (such
as individuals and vehicles) are examined both spatially and over time.
Obviously WAPS systems are essentially designed to be deployed on
aerial platforms such as tethered balloons, aerostats, UAVs or manned
aircraft. The US Gorgon Stare system which is deployed aboard the
reaper UAV and uses five electro-optical and four infrared cameras to
generate imagery from 12 different angles is considered the current gold
standard, though more extensive systems can be carried on much larger
aerial vehicles such as Aerostats. However such systems are data
intensive. For instance a single Gorgon Stare pod can generate around
two terabytes of data every day.
Heading into the future, hyperspectral imaging, full motion video, foliage
penetration, and mapping and tracking of individuals on foot will all find
their way into solitary aerial platforms as the ability to geo-locate and
geo-register targets will become increasingly important in sub-
conventional scenarios. Indeed the fusion of SAR systems combined with
Electro-optical/Infrared (EO/IR) payloads is already happening to increase
decision making capability. Naturally this is also increasing on-board
‘computing requirements for UAVs leading to the development of
increased core count, lower power consuming CPUs, along with
associated FPGAs or GPGPUs. This is creating a network architecture
where intelligence collected can be shared, processed and distributed in
a more decentralized rather than in a point to point relay station manner.
Working towards such a capability is critical in an era where networks
fight networks and these networks are increasingly looking to become
mobile adhoc networks (MANET) to literally keep pace with an ever
changing tactical battle area and rear. Making the sensor to shooter chain
shorter requires ad-hoc networking that optimizes spectrum utilization
when coupled with contemporary waveforms which in turn enables the
real time delivery of video, image transfer, voice and data. The
dependence on space to provide wider coverage continues to grow which
is then sought to be linked with MANETs on the ground and in the air.
Much work however needs to be done for attaining this kind of network
centricity in IA's EOB. And the reason for that is a little mysterious
because the IA's plans in this direction go way back. In fact the current
flagship 1A program, the tactical communication system (TCS) was
actually labelled TCS-2000 initially given that it was supposed to be rolled
out by that year i.e 2000. After a decade long delay the programme was
re-badged TCS-2010 and we are now in 2014. Clearly this program needs
to be taken up on a priority basis
Be that as it may, TCS which is sought to be developed under the ‘make’
category of the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) has two
competing development agencies- Bharat Electronics (BEL) and a
consortium of L&T, Tata Power and HCL Infosys Ltd. TCS as currently
envisioned is essentially a mix of a mobile vehicular ad-hoc network
(VANET) and the more static wireless service network (WSN) technology
at the corps level. It is designed to give IA the means to ‘communicate on
the move’ even as it penetrates into enemy territory making TCS a very
big enabler of the ‘cold start’ type doctrines.
Based on light weight high mobility vehicles which represent
communication nodes, TCS will have the bandwidth to handle very high
data rates and provide encrypted voice, video and data transmission
though frequency hopping radio networks with multiple redundancies.
Naturally this network will also have the mobile terminals necessary for
satellite based connectivity as well and the firewalls necessary to prevent
cyber intrusion given that cyber and electronic warfare techniques are
increasingly melding with each other.
The project worth around 3 billion dollars will see each of the two
competitors build a prototype TCS with the one being selected going on
to build seven sets of TCS for seven corps of the IA. The TCS is however
a harbinger of a truer MANET called the battlefield management system
(BMS) which will facilitate high bandwidth real time communications
from the battalion headquarters forward to the companies and platoons.
Being fielded in all varieties of terrain the BMS contract value will
probably be worth ten times more than the current TCS contract and a
game changer in Asia. The IA actually has vast network centricity plans
and envisages a tactical command, control, communications and
information (TacC3l) system core which will encompass the command
information decision support system, the Shakti artillery combat
command and control system, the battlefield surveillance system
including BFSRs and WLRs, an air defence control and reporting system
augmented by newer generation 2D and 3D radars, and of course the
BMS.
Meanwhile DLRL has been developing a tri-system radar finger printing
system which will prove crucial to achieving ‘jointness’ in the electronic
realm. This system has the capability of providing 'Unique Identification
of emitters among a class of emitters’ based on intra-pulse analysis of
radar waveforms. The system measures the frequency, phase and
amplitude variations within the radar pulse. Intra pulse analysis extracts
as many parameters (features) of radar pulses as possible with fine grain
accuracy.
The three services together are moving towards an overarching defence
communication network (DCN) which once fully operationalized would
give real meaning to the concept of jjointness’ championed by the three
services. In the words of a former Defence Minister himself, ‘DCN
envisages a network of optical fibre cables, satellite earth stations and
transportable and portable satellite terminals with high security features
that enable conduct of simultaneous real time networked operations from
multiple sites to cater for contingencies and failures, as well as hardware
redundancies for fail-safe operations. Such a network will be the
backbone of the proposed joint commands for cyberwarfare, special
operations and space operations.
Follow Saurav Jha on twitter @SJha1618. Send your feedback to
geekatlarge1618@gmail.com
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