Within days of taking over as the country’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen Bipin Rawat sought a detailed proposal from the three Services on the creation of an Air Defence Command., setting 30 June 2020 as the date to create the Air Defence Command. The Indian Air Force (IAF) is in charge of the country’s air defence (AD), the Army has it’s ground-based Army Air Defence (AAD) Corps, responsible for the protection of air space for Army’s operations from enemy aircraft and missiles.
The overall responsibility of thwarting an enemy air invasion will continue with IAF, while the Ground-based AD resources need better synergy. Integrating AD assets will assist in avoiding ‘fratricide’ during heightened security conditions. The incident of shooting down of a Mi-17 helicopter at Budgam on 27 February 2019, during the Balakot strike was an avoidable loss. Further, the shooting down of Ukranian passenger aircraft on a routine flight by Iranian forces, on 8 January, was also attributable to Iran’s Air Defence Command and Control problems. Even though transponders for Identification of Friend or Foe (IFF) were installed onboard the aircraft and warships for target classification, this may not be a fool-proof method.
The AD Command is meant to integrate AD verticals of the three armed forces, while retaining the uniqueness of each Service to execute its own AD operational role in its own single service battle space. Each service has different assets to defend and must maintain weapons special to its requirements.
It makes sense to have a common AD command, since the common aim of all three armed forces is to defeat the air threat from the enemy. The enemy will not differentiate between the vulnerabilities or assets of one Service or the other.
Existing Tri-services Air Defence Effort
All the three Services – Indian Army, IAF and Navy so far have maintained their own AD resources to counter specific threat perceived by each, sometimes even having overlapping areas.
Indian Army has it’s ground-based Army Air Defence (AAD) Corps, responsible for the protection of air space for Army’s operations from enemy aircraft and missiles. Plans are afoot to upgrade the existing vintage AD equipment and to create a responsive AD for Army’s strike formations in plains and tactical AD in mountains. Also, the procurement and upgrades of AD guns and equipment are being pursued as part of the modernization of the army.
The IAF has been on a technology pursuit to get superior surface-to-air guided weapons (SAGW) and AD radars to bolster its operational capability, and to integrate all sensors, weapon systems and command and control structures to create an Integrated AD Command for its operations. Surface-to-air weapon systems are planned to be interfaced with IAF’s indigenous C4I system viz. Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS) using Software Defined Radios (SDR). Integration of IACCS with surveillance network of civil aviation is also underway in a phased manner. Further, IAF also plans to deploy an Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) system to support AD and offensive strike missions over the tactical battle area and for this, one AEW&C aircraft was inducted in IAF in 2018.
To meet their immediate AD requirements, IAF has procured Israeli Spyder low level quick reaction missile (LLQRM) System, equipped with Python 5 and Derby missiles. This system is meant to provide AD against aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles and UAVs.
On the other hand, Indian Navy maintains its AD assets mainly on the sea platform, in the expected lines of its operational role. For detection of air targets including missiles, modern naval warships are fitted with advance phased array radars with specialized radar beams to search and track multiple aircraft and missiles simultaneously.
On naval ships, two SAM complexes in fore and aft configuration give complete 360-degree air engagement capability. Ships are also fitted with Close-in Weapon Systems (CIWS) like rapid-fire AK-630 systems for engaging air targets a couple of kilometres away. On the high seas, carrier-launched fighter jets provide the key AD cover to deter any battlespace air threat. All high-value naval units at sea are provided at least two layers of AD cover by other ships part of the formation.
AD Integration
An AD Command will have all AD resources of all three Services at its disposal and will seamlessly address the issue of resource allocation. The battle theatres can at times overlap especially among the Army and the Air Force. This leads to duplication of weapons procurement and excessive spending. Hence, AD Command can ensure appropriate resource allocation for its optimal utilization.
AD is intrinsically linked to every Service command with a prime responsibility to protect the nation from threat as large as nuclear threat to small ones such as drone incursions. In these situations, rather than seeking which Service’s resources will be more apt to nullify the threat, an integrated command will have at its disposal all available resources and its deploy the resources corresponding to the threat.
For the nation, the overall AD threat perception in military terms means evaluation of its ‘susceptibility and vulnerability’ against the enemy’s offensive capabilities. India routinely has skirmishes on its borders with nuclear-armed neighbours – Pakistan and China. These two hostile nations perpetually maintain a ‘minimum credible deterrence’ against India by strategic deployment of various ballistic and cruise missiles, both conventional and nuclear capable.
From assessing air threat perception to creating a common integrated air defence shield over land, sea and air, all factors have to be looked into by the office of the CDS. Any shortcoming in the concepts and doctrines document at this stage shall lead to irrecoverable damage and can be fatal for AD during hostilities.
Indigenization of AD Capability
India has an ambitious Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) for the development of the two-layered programme to defend vital assets against ballistic missile attacks. The capability was demonstrated in 2018 by intercepting two kinds of missiles – endo-atmospheric interceptor missile mission against long-range simulated targets and an exo-atmospheric interceptor missile (PDV04) tested against two-stage ship launched target missile.
Anti-satellite missile test (Mission Shakti) was completed in 2019 in which BMD interceptor missile engaged Indian target satellite in low earth orbit (LEO) in a ‘Hit to Kill’ mode. It gave India the capability to defend its assets in outer space and was significant against inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).
The Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QRSAM), a system capable of engaging multiple targets at ranges of up to 30 km is under development. An Indigenous AD Fire Control Radar (ADFCR) ‘Atulya’ with its associated anti-aircraft guns for point air defence system at short and very short ranges. And, Indian Army is indigenizing an AD Tactical Control Radar (ADTCR) as a successor to existing Indian Doppler Radar (INDRA) and P19 radars.
Control & Reporting
The prime responsibility of the AD of the national air space lies with the Air Force. That does not mean that the Air Force can go it alone. The execution of its function depends on the type of threats being faced and in what way to respond. The main responsibility of the AD Command would now be to provide a structure to the command & control (C&C) of AD. The C&C of AD, ie, the AD Control and Reporting System (ADCRS) exists with all the three Services. If a weak ADCRS operates even the best weapon system will operate sub optimally.
The ADCRS system is responsible for:
• Surveillance of air space.
• Detection of aerial threat.
• Cancelling out duplication of inputs from multiple radars.
• Identification of aerial vehicles into friend or foe.
• Prioritization of air threat.
• Selection of most suitable weapon to take on the threat.
• Designation of target in auto mode.
• Successive firing from guns to missiles in a seamless manner.
• Maintain minute to minute control of the air defence battle.
The IAF has an integrated C&C that rides on the Air Force Net (AFNET). It has national level linkages from national command (source) down to the weapons. The Army has its own AD C&C – Akash. The Navy too has one of its own called Trigun. The latter two work perfectly but unilaterally and, hence, there are serious voids. A proper integration of these three C&C systems is required.
Responsibilities
The AD Command will have multiple responsibilities, viz:
• To wipe out voids in the AD C&C and shape it properly.
• Ensure inputs on air threats are available from the three Services and other national agencies on a 24×7 basis and maintain updated data on air threat.
• Prioritise multiple AD assets to be deployed for the defence of vulnerable assets identified by the three Services and also national strategic assets. The AD Command will have to steer each Service’s perspective into a national perspective.
• AD Command will allocate weapons to each Service according to the vulnerabilities it deals with so that it can manage it better.
• Optimize training value through optimal use of training resources with each Service and give training a national identity
• Collaborate and coordinate with civil aviation authorities and resources for better effect.
Comments
There is a falacy that there is a turf war among the three Services and an integrated AD Command would bring them together. This is far from true. The three Services are very clear about each other’s domain of operations.
In a nut shell, an AD Command will help in integrating the hardware of the three Services, bring in economy in their procurement, prioritise their employment to effectively neutralise aerial threats, use the operational core competencies of each Service to report threats, bring in commonality of procedures, optimise training, prevent fratricide and brig in efficiencies on the battlefield. It is expected that CDS under its ambit shall be able to ensure exploitation of these S-400 complexes as part of an Air Defence Command.
[…] ALSO READ : Air Defence : CDS Tasked With Creating a Joint Air Defence Structure […]