Situational Awareness

Prof. Dinesh Kumar Pandey

There is a broad spectrum of aerial threats to Indian airspace ranging from slow and small drones to highly manoeuvrable jets and missiles. These threats can arise during unconventional, conventional wars and even in peacetime. These threats may frequently be together with deceptive electronic countermeasures.

Our national security objectives include the defence of national airspace and the space domain. According to the Union War Book, the country’s overall Air Defence (AD) responsibility has been vested in the Indian Air Force (IAF). AD refers to defensive measures intended to destroy or neutralise the efficacy of aerial missiles or aircraft used by adversaries.

Basic AD Architect

During times of peace, safeguarding of the Indian air space is accomplished through AD and air space management. The AD organisations maintain a 24x7, 365 days of the year operational alert status in order to respond to any aviation threat or airspace violation.

The fundamental functions of an AD organisation are listed below:

(a)  AD role requires 24x7x365 monitoring and managing the Indian airspace. Control and reporting organisations are assigned for surveillance of the Indian airspace to detect aerial friendly or foe targets round the clock.

(b)  Identify aerial targets quickly to determine the presence of any intruder.

(c)  Intercept and destroy hostile targets before they can reach any vulnerable points or areas. Armed aircraft are maintained on active Operational Readiness Platforms (ORP) or Combat Air Patrol (CAP) in order to respond quickly to any aerial threat resulting from the enforcement of airspace control via AD Identification Zones. They are supported by Surface-to-Air Guided Weapons (SAGW) that are maintained in operational readiness.

(d)  Providing radar assistance and close control to allied forces following preassigned policies.

(e)  Extend all possible assistance to the aircraft in the event of an emergency or contingency.

Since substantial IAF resources are devoted to this peacetime duty, a significant portion of the IAF remains in a state of readiness even during times of peace. This contributes to the IAF's high responsiveness and enables a rapid and seamless transition to higher levels of conflict.

In the ‘No War, No Peace’ scenario, the number of aerial threats (including those posed by unmanned aerial vehicles) grows constantly. To deter aerial incursions by adversaries/non-state actors, aerospace power must adopt an offensive AD posture by deploying AD sensors well ahead of the occurrence, conducting combat air patrols, deploying long/medium/short range SAMs, counter UAS technology, and conducting surveillance by aerial/space-based platform.

IAF Radars

Radars detect aircraft, satellites, guided missiles and drones. Radar uses radio waves to measure the target’s range, direction and speed. A radar antenna emits an electromagnetic signal from a transmitter to illuminate