Electronic warfare offers Rs 25,000-cr (US$ 5 billion) biz for India Inc

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Electronic warfare offers Rs 25,000-cr (US$ 5 billion) biz for India Inc

A Rs 25,000-crore business proposition awaits the country's public and private sectors in electronic warfare, the science of electronically dodging and attacking the enemy, according to top Defence scientists.

Speaking on Tuesday ahead of the second international conference on EW, Dr Srihari Rao, Chief Controller (Electronics), DRDO, said military labs were equipping the three forces with futuristic EW or intelligent devices, including radar warners, missile warners, electronic and leak-proof communication intelligence, jammers and detectors.

These would be fitted on ground vehicles, ships and also on unmanned combat air vehicles, fighter planes and even future satellites to enhance the military's ‘seeing and hearing' ranges.

According to Mr I .V. Sarma, Director (R&D), Bharat Electronics Ltd, BEL is currently a major provider of EW hardware and solutions to the military.

A rising set of private industries was also getting into the game.

Of the total EW pie for the decade, Rs 10,000 crore each would go into kitting out the Army and the Air Force while the Navy's ship-based systems would get the rest. BEL manufactures the indigenously developed radar warning receivers, totally worth Rs 2,000 crore and which are fitted on all IAF fighters and helicopters.

A DRDO brief said the EW systems would counter modern arms that were being used by mercenaries and terrorists and in low-intensity warfares such as Kargil.

Advanced systems are being developed at Defence Avionics Research Establishment, Bangalore, and Defence Electronics and Research Laboratory, Hyderabad.
3-day event

BEL is also co-sponsoring the three-day EWCI event from Wednesday along with DRDO and the military scientists' body, the Association of Old Crows India. Some 400 delegates, including users, planners, developers, suppliers, testers and trainers of modern EW systems and public and private industries are expected at the event.

[SpArK]

India plans to develop next-gen electronic warfare systems


BANGALORE (PTI): India plans to develop new-generation Electronic Warfare (EW) systems to be fitted on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, aircraft and satellites that would help it see "deep inside enemy territories", a key defence research and development official said here Friday.

Chief Controller, Research and Development (Electronics and Computer Sciences), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), R Sreehari Rao, said the present EW system, especially ground-based ones fitted on naval platforms have got "limited range" (10-20 km) and "can't intercept beyond the line of sight".

He noted that EW systems (to be) fitted on higher platforms like UAVs, aircraft and satellites would give "very long range". The ones on UAVs and aircraft would give the country a 400-500 kms range capability and those on satellites "much longer range".

"We can see deep inside enemy territories. We have plans to go in for higher platforms", Rao told reporters in response to questions ahead of the second international conference on electronic warfare, which will be formally inaugurated here Wednesday.

He also said a prototype of synthetic aperture radar, development of which is being pursued by DRDO constituent lab, Electronics and Radar Development Establishment would be flight-tested on a Dornier aircraft this year.

Director (R&D) of Bharat Electronics Limited, I V Sarma said the navratna defence electronics company expects India's armed forces -- Army, Airforce and Navy -- to buy EW systems to the tune of Rs 25,000 crore in the next eight to 10 years.

Army and Air Force are anticipated to induct such products valued at Rs 10,000 crore each and the Navy Rs 5,000-Rs 7,000 crore during the time-frame, he said, pointing to upgrade programmes of MiG-29 and Sukhoi and new EW suites for Light Combat Aircraft and light attack helicopter, as also the Navy.

Sarma said BEL would instal 10 coastal surveillance stations, mostly on the western border, by next month-end. As many as 36 more such stations in other "critical and sensitive" places all along the coast would be in place by December this year.

Bangalore-headquartered BEL has bagged a Rs 600 crore order in this context, he said.

"They (surveillance stations) provide surveillance on any vessels coming to territorial waters up to 20 kms....

anything entering with 20 km range", Sarma said, adding, one would be able to visually see as to what happens within the 20 kms range with the help of electro-optic surveillance system.

Regional centres would come up to monitor the coast, while there would be a control centre in Delhi, from where things can be monitored on what's happening within 20 km of territorial water from coastal regions, he said.


India plans to develop next-gen electronic warfare systems - Brahmand.com

[Manmohan Yadav]

NEW DELHI — India is developing homemade electronic warfare (EW) systems that will have a range of up to 500 kilometers when fitted on UAVs and aircraft. At present, India is using ground-based EW systems fitted on naval platforms with a range of only 10 to 20 kilometers.

When fitted aboard satellites, the range of the EW systems will be even greater, said a scientist at India’s Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), which is developing the EW systems.

A prototype of a synthetic aperture radar developed at the Electronics and Radar Development Establishment, a Bangalore-based laboratory under DRDO, will be flight-tested on an aircraft this year.

India’s demand for advanced EW systems is estimated to cost about $5 billion, and the bulk of these systems are being developed by state-owned Bharat Electronics Ltd. (BEL).

DRDO and BEL have also developed the Samyukta EW systems being used by the Indian Army as electronic intelligence, communication intelligence, and electronic attack measures.

In October, domestic private sector defense major Tata Power beat Elta of Israel to build the Indian Army’s integrated EW systems for mountainous terrain.