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.

Ravi Shekhar Pandey