By Invitation | Mini Fighters

Capt. Akash Kumar Singh

The Indian Air Force (IAF) plays a vital role in Air Space Management and in safety of not only military aviation but also of civil aviation assets. Complexities in managing the airspace during peacetime are compounded even more when it comes to the conduct of air operations at the time of war and especially in the Tactical Battle Area (TBA).

The vast technological improvements, coupled with the high cost of state-of-the-art aircraft and requirement of well-trained pilots, has led to the development of unmanned air vehicles (UAVs). Till a few years back, UAVs were typically viewed as low-risk low-cost experimental tools but in today’s battlefield milieu they have found a wide array of uses. Aviation related tasks are now becoming seemingly possible with minimal or without human intervention. UAVs are thus being viewed with increased interest to perform a variety of new ‘dull-dirty-dangerous’ missions ranging from reconnaissance, atmosphere monitoring to targeting. The versatility, small size and low cost of UAVs have resulted in their large-scale proliferation not only amongst organised military forces but also amongst non-state actors, adding not only to the variety but also to the numbers of airspace users and further compounding the already complex issue of Air Space Management both during war and peace.

British Anti-UAV Defence System (AUDS) - © LITEYE

With above-mentioned challenges in Air Space Management as the backdrop, in this piece it is intended to analyse the growth of UAVs, their impact on Air Space Management during war and peace and attempt to demystify and de-conflict this quintessential issue of not only war fighting but also of safe and secure exploitation of the airspace during peace.

The UAV Challenge

In the 21st century, the trend towards the proliferation of unmanned threat is most ominous. Since UAVs are comparatively inexpensive, easily procured or manufactured and extremely versatile, they have emerged as a new multifaceted threat. Their small size, low radar cross-section and ability to fly low and slow make them difficult to detect and track. It is these physical/ electronic characteristics coupled with their large-scale proliferation and innovative employment not only by organised defence forces but also by non-state actors that have presented some very complex challenges for Air Space Management.

Air Space Management: Detection of UAVs by radars or visual/ acoustic means is extremely difficult, especially at longer ranges. Also, due to absence of sensors which can monitor instantaneous position of the UAVs, it is difficult for Air Space Management professionals to know of this change, unless intimated by the Ground Control Station. They pose an omnipresent threat with an all-weather capability and requirement of negligible ground support infrastructure as com