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India’s proposed air defence system Sudarshan Chakra will be the “mother of all air defence systems combined together” and will include counter-drone, counter-UAV and counter-hypersonic systems among others, a top military official said on Tuesday.
In his address at a conference ‘Counter UAVs & Air Defence Systems: Future of Modern Warfare’ here, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (CISC) Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit also said that the adversary has learnt from Operation Sindoor and so “we will have to be two steps ahead” of them in military thinking and planning.
The event saw participation of senior military officers, representatives of various firms in the defence industry and domain experts.
Air Marshal Dixit gave references to the recent Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict, the Russia-Ukraine war and how relatively much cheaper drones have played a critical role in inflicting huge damage to expensive military assets of the other side.
They have created an “innovation adaption cycle” and Indian industry, think-tanks, academia job should be to think “two steps ahead” to say ahead of the adversary, as it is “like a game of chess”, he said.
Like ‘Make in India’, you have to start ‘Think in India’ and ideate, he urged the defence industry.
On Operation Sindoor, Air Marshal Dixit said certain drones which “we caught were sophisticated, using… AI, visual means, and even if we jam their GPS, they were able to reach somewhere close”.”They are also working and becoming better, so we have to go one step ahead,” he said.
Air Marshal Dixit, however, asserted that it seems “our counter-drone and GPS-jamming systems worked well, as damage caused by these drones have been almost nil”.
So, that is a “success story in anti-drone”, but unfortunately, same thing cannot be repeated next time, the other side’s system will also grow, because “they have also learned about our capabilities”, he said.
And, this harping on self-reliance, Atmanirbharta, because, it “gives a surprise element”.
“Like all surprises, it can only be utilised once. So, next time, again, we have to give a surprise element,” he said.
In his address, Air Marshal Dixit also mentioned about India’s envisioned air defence system Sudarshan Chakra, saying it will be “mother of all air defence systems combined together, along with some weapon systems”.
“We are still in ideation phase, but counter-drones, counter-UAV… counter-hypersonic, all these kind of things, and some things else also, which cannot be spoken about, all those combined together is Mission Sudarshan Chakra, with counter drone in the lowest layer of the system,” he said.
Later, interacting with PTI on the sidelines of the event, the air marshal said, “It is in ideation phase, but I can tell you that it will be all-encompassing.” Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan in his address at a tri-service seminar in August had said that the proposed air defence system will work as “a shield and a sword’, and had suggested it will be on the lines of Israel’s Iron Dome all-weather air defense system, known as a very effective missile shield.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the 10-year project during his Independence Day address this year.
Sudarshan Chakra will entail a colossal amount of integration of sensors, missiles, surveillance apparatus and artificial intelligence tools, the CDS had said.
In his address, Air Marshal Dixit also emphasised on war’s impact on economy and commercialisation of drones.
One has to take economic view also, “I cannot go bankrupt while winning a war,” he said.
The CISC also underlined the role of AI in the field of drones, and said counter-drone system will have to have a “combination of both soft kill and hard kill, no tow ways about it”.
