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>> Lead Story

In This Issue Page 4 Swarm Drones — New Frontier of Warfare A new way altogether of releasing force on the enemy, Swarm Drones will play a dominant role in the conflicts of the future, with more and more states and non-state actors using this technology Lt General Dushyant Singh (Retd) Page 5 Army Aviation Corps — Present Status and Modernisation

Future Army and Evolving Warfare Will human intelligence and creativity win the next war or the leader in AI will rule the world? Technological innovations in the future would surely change the nature of warfare. Future conflict will take place in a battlespace that is shaped by Artificial Intelligence and other new technologies.

Photograph: Courtney Maxson, Army / defense.gov

With the motto Suveg and Sudridh (Swift and Sure), the youngest corps of the Indian Army is growing in tactical importance, in the battlefield, as a force multiplier Lt General Naresh Chand (Retd) Page 6 Army’s Eye in the Sky Pilotless Aircraft or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), better known as Drones are rapidly growing in popularity in various military operations due to their high convenience in reducing losses and enabling the execution of high profile and time-sensitive missions Lt General Naresh Chand (Retd) Page 7 The Looming Drone Threat Drones provide an opportunity to getting close to the target and bring an “unmanned” weapons platform from which force can be launched via remote control.

Drones also provide maneuverability of the platform, in close vicinity to the target, allowing more precise targeting. In this age of technology, Drones were bound to happen and are here to stay.

Lt General P.C. Katoch (Retd) Page 8 Death Knell of Tanks: Fact or Fiction

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being viewed as the most disruptive technology of the current era that promises to change the face of warfare for years to come

 Lt General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

With attention shifting to cutting-edge technologies like robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomous drones, the logic behind maintaining large, legacy platforms has been brought into question Lt General R.K. Jagga (Retd) Plus News / Appointments

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hree events were prominently covered in media during 2020. First was the killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani on January 3 through precision targeting by a US drone near Baghdad International Airport while he was on his way to meet Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi in Baghdad. Second was the AzerbaijanArmenia conflict in Nagorno Karabakh in which swarm drones used by Azerbaijan

played a decisive role. Third was the assassination of Iranian nuclear physicist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh on November 27 for which Iran accused Israel. Iran’s Tasnim news agency quoting a senior Iranian military official has stated that Mohsen’s assassination was carried out remotely with artificial intelligence and a machine gun equipped with a “satellite-controlled smart system”.

Changing Landscape Use of drones with artificial intelligence (AI) has been witnessed in recent years.

The Islamic State used drones in Iraq-Syria and was even trying to develop rocket assisted drones. Russian bases in Syria too were subjected to swarm drone attacks. In September 2019, Yemen-based Houthi rebels executed a coordinated massive swarm drone strike on two ARAMCO oil production facilities of Saudi Arabia defeating the Saudi air defence systems. Addressing students in Moscow during September 2017, President Vladimir Putin had famously said that whichever country becomes the leader in AI research “will become the ruler of the

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E D I T O R I A L

>> lead story While the world is cancelling a host of leading shows, India has gone ahead with unmatched conviction and is organising Aero India 2021 with not even a fraction of change or an effect out of COVID-19 A distinct component of major defence and air shows, like the upcoming Aero India 2021, is the showcasing of futuristic technologies under development which on implementation will be extremely useful to man and machine. Some of these technologies have the potential to shape the battlefield landscape. Keeping this in mind, the lead story of this issue of SP’s Land Forces by Lt General P.C. Katoch (Retd) is on the evolving trends in warfare and therefore

what the future armies will look like. The author feels that rapid technological advances will continue to revolutionise the five dimensional conflict of aerospace, land, sea, cyber and electromagnetic space.

An area of newer technologies is the significant developments taking place in the space of “Unmanned Systems”, popularly called as Drones. Drones can be used for intelligence operations, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), target acquisition, precision strikes and post strike damage assessment. Militaries are operating unarmed and armed drones; as small as 16 gram Black Hornet Nano with a 2 km range to the 40 feet Wingspan Global Hawk - bigger than most commercial airliners. This issue of SP’s Land Forces covers this subject exten-

sively with an article on Swarm Drones by Lt General Dushyant Singh (Retd), Indian Army’s use of Drones by Lt General Naresh Chand (Retd) and the Looming Threat by Lt General P.C. Katoch (Retd). The article on Swarm Drones, aptly called the ‘New Frontier of Warfare’, deals with the concept of Swarm Drones, the developments taking place in this field and how to counter them.

The article on Army Aviation Corps (AAC) traces its origin and where it wants to reach in the future. AAC is growing in its tactical importance in the battlefield as a force multiplier. However it will need to accelerate its pace of modernisation and offensive capabilities to become a battle winning factor. There is also an article on Battle Tanks and whether they have outlived

their utility in Battle grounds and if they have any future, given the technological advancements. Read this analysis by Lt General R.K. Jagga (Retd) to find the answer.

As usual this issue wraps up with the News Digest and Flag Postings. Wish you all discerning readers happy reading and in case you are in Bengaluru kindly visit us in Aero India 2021 at HallE, Stall:E4.6.

Jayant Baranwal Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

Photographs: DARPA, PIB

world”. Interestingly, China has set itself the goal of becoming leader of AI by 2030.

To the ongoing development and application of information communications and technology (ICT) resulting in precisionguided weapons and net-centric warfare (NCW), technologies like stealth and hypersonic systems have been added in a major way. In addition is cyber-warfare and ‘media mercenaries’. Readily available new technologies can be exploited and used by both state and non-state actors as large spectrum of new tools to inflict damage and disruption not only on traditionally superior military forces in the battlefield, but also on civilian populations and critical infrastructure.

lites. This reportedly involves reflecting a sunbeam on the enemy satellite that will over a long period heat the target satellite causing it to fall out of its orbit and burn up on re-entry into the upper stratosphere.

The newest skin coatings for painting the face in battle don’t just conceal the soldier but also reduce the fighter’s visibility to thermal vision sensors by blocking the nearinfrared wavelengths those systems look for.

Current camouflage can hide soldiers and their vehicles from human sight but is close to useless against ever-more-common infrared vision systems. But research is on with structural protein called ‘Reflectin’ functioning in the same wavelengths as night vision systems to overcome this problem.

China has also been reporting development of invisible clothing.

New Technologies Rapid technological advances will continue to revolutionise the five dimensional conflict (aerospace, land, sea, cyber and electromagnetic), information warfare, electronic warfare, asymmetric warfare, all other forms of operationalised cyberspace, radiation combat, robotic combat and nano-technology combat. Information superiority is as important as land, sea, aerospace superiority. Nonlethal weapons (NLWs) of various kinds, biological pathogens and other weapons of mass destruction (WMD), lasers and particle beams, rail guns and long-range kinetic strike systems, enabling technologies such as nano-materials and additive printing or 3D manufacturing have arrived on the scene. High-powered microwaves too are in use to destroy enemy electronics although they have certain limitations.

Solid-state laser technology is affordable and will be deployed in the near future to damage or destroy enemy systems on the battlefield at sea, air and ground. Ground vehicles will use them against artillery, mortars, UAVs, and other proximate threats.

China’s biological bombing of the world by releasing the virus from Wuhan has signaled the horrors of biological attacks.

Such virus attacks can have many varia-

New technologies can be exploited by both state and non-state actors to inflict damage and disruption on traditionally superior military forces in the battlefield

Future Battlefield

(Top) Warrior web closer to making its performance-improving suit a reality; (Above) DRDO successfully launched the Ballistic Missile Defence Interceptor missile, in an Anti-Satellite (A-SAT) missile test.

tions. Ebola itself can be used as a biological weapon. More dangerous research is on synthesising DNA into viruses and other potential pathogens. China has integrated Pakistan in such research by establishing a Wuhan-like research facility in Pakistan.

More advancement in military technologies is ongoing. In addition to loitering munitions already in use, sensor-packed bullets are being developed that can change course rapidly in midair hitting the target with

ease. This would particularly make sniping much more lethal and effective. Drone submarine hunters have been developed as the answer to submarines having added stealth features. Laser cannons can fire repeatedly with just a truck-mounted diesel generator.

To protect against plasma weapon attacks, plasma shields are being developed. Beyond the testing of anti-satellite (ASAT) missiles, advanced technology is being developed to silently hunt and “melt” the enemy satel-

There is no doubt that future battle-space will be shaped and geminated by new technologies and AI. However, the view that AI will rule conflicts and this revolutionary change will witness humans being replaced by robots is misplaced. Humans who most quickly exploit the battlefield have invariably overcome technological disadvantages and delivered victory. Though AI and other technology will be important in future conflicts, the best bet for future victory is developing the tactical, operational, and strategic innovators who will leverage battle-space conditions to achieve victory, regardless of the technical balance.

The US-Vietnam war is a perfect example of this. But human intelligence will win the next conflict, not technology. Perhaps, no one can understand this better than Chinese President Xi Jinping who understands the human deficit of the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA).

That is why China is working on genetically developing super-soldiers.

In recent years, Chinese scientists, physicists and strategists have been emphasising that biotechnology could become a new strategic tool in conflict. US intelligence officials now say that China has already conducted human testing on PLA soldiers hoping to develop soldiers with biologically enhanced capabilities. Chinese researchers have used the gene-editing tool ‘clusters of regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats’ (CRISPR) used to treat genetic diseases and modify plants, but in conducting human testing “there are no ethical boundaries to Beijing’s pursuit of power.” Western scientists consider it unethical to seek to manipulate genes to boost the performance of healthy people.

Continued on page 9...

Aero India 2021 Special SP’s Land Forces

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>> Technology

Swarm Drones — New Frontier of Warfare A new way altogether of releasing force on the enemy, Swarm Drones will play a dominant role in the conflicts of the future, with more and more states and non-state actors using this technology Photographs: DARPA

 Lt General Dushyant Singh (Retd)

Introduction Drone Warfare is being extensively and effectively used by many countries to conduct hybrid warfare against their adversaries. For example, the US has employed drones with telling effect in the Afghanistan war to target the fighters and leaders of AlQaeda and Taliban. Recently it targeted the Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani.

Other countries that have used drones are Turkey against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, Nigeria against Boko Haram, Iraq against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), and Saudi Arabia in Libya and Yemen. Swarm drone attacks with loiter capability have made drone warfare even more deadlier and lethal. A classic example of swarm drone attack was conducted

by Yemeni Houthi rebels on two Aramco installations of Saudi Oil Companies by 18 drones and three low-flying missiles which many believe was actually conducted by Iran given the sophistication of the attack.

However, drone warfare shot into limelight during the recent Azerbaijan - Armenian conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. During the conflict drones were used by Azeri defence forces against the Armenian land forces with telling effect.

CODE assets are locally controlled

Target Role: Strike

Role: Electronic Warfare

Role: Comms/Nav fix

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Proliferation of Drones The United States, China, Russia, and Britain are in advance stages of developing this technology. In 2017, the US carried out trials with 103 ‘Perdix Quadcopter Drones’ functioning as a swarm. As per Lt General Bali Pawar, a well-known aviation expert, the US research agency DARPA has developed micro drones of the size and shape of missiles designed to be dropped from planes.

The US Navy is also working on ‘Low Cost Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Swarming Technology’ (LOCUST). Russia is also working on the concept of drone swarming and is probably trying to integrate drones with its ‘Sixth Generation Fighter Aircraft’.

Similarly, the UK is also working on Swarm attack technology. While qualitatively the US is still world leader in drone technology, it is the Chinese who have taken the lead in manufacturing and proliferating drones in the world. As per an article published in November 2020 by a New York based Foreign Affairs article that prior to 2011 only three countries possessed armed drones but between 2011 to 2020 there are 18 countries that have armed drones of which 11 countries have been supplied drones by China. What is of even greater worry is that most of the countries who have procured these drones are non-democracies. Therefore, its employment for hybrid warfare and by militants or terrorist organisations is likely to increase. The Iran backed Houthi swarm drone attack on Saudi Oil Company facility is a recent example.

Swarm Drone: Chinese Activities China is also working towards developing a swarm drone operational concept of war fighting. Towards this end it has started testing swarm drone attack technology for warfighting since 2017 on a regular basis as reported by Global Times a Chinese Daily.

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Role: Strike Target

Role: Comms relay (Top) MANNED-UNMANNED – the control of unmanned systems from a manned aircraft (Above) DARPA's CODE (Collaborative Operations in Denied Environment)

Swarm drones are of two types: first “Fixed Wing Swarms” and second Quadcopter Swarms. China holds the world record in both categories beating the US in the process. In fixed wing UAV swarms it has flown 119 UAVs in June 2017 by Chinese Electronic Technology Corporation (CETC) beating the US record of 103 fixed wing UAVs in January 2017. The fixed wing UAV swarm divided into different groups, with each group circling over its intended target and thereafter, manoeuvring as a group to ascertain the viability of carrying out coordinated reconnaissance, distributed surveillance and saturated strikes over ground targets. Similarly, the Chinese company Ehang demonstrated the world largest quadcopter

Swarm drones are multiple unmanned aerial flying platforms integrated as a single networked system self contained for communication, reconnaissance and weapons/munitions to strike an enemy target

SP’s Land Forces Aero India 2021 Special

UAV swarms comprising 1,374 UAVs on April 29, 2018. China recently conducted a test of Stealth attack Swarm tech drone.

The state of the art drone is capable of being launched from trucks, helicopters, and Sea platforms. It is about 1.2 meters long, maximum speed 150 kmph and an operating radius of 15 km. These type of drones function like normal drones during recce mode but transform into a cruise missile and launch suicide attacks when they receive the order. Swarm drones attack the target by integrating two critical technologies: machine and artificial intelligence.

The concept of swarm drone operation envisages integrating and flying a large number of UAVs carrying sensors, weapons/munitions and communication equipment on board and obtaining inputs, building a comprehensive battle picture and communicating to multiple users in a simple manner and in real-time. Such a concept increases the probability of success of a mission as there are built in redundancies in the concept. For example, if an UAV is shot down or jammed its functions get taken over by another UAV. Swarm drones are multiple unmanned aerial flying platforms integrated as a single networked system selfcontained for communication, reconnaissance and weapons/munitions to strike an enemy ground based target. The successful use of drones by Azerbaijan which was supported by Turkey and Israel has comprehensively validated the employment of drones in a conventional setting beyond doubt. This

once again has upheld the supremacy of air power in a future battlefield against a legacy large ground forces with relatively poor air defence forces.

At present air defence guns and missiles are being used to counter drone threat however, they are practically ineffective against hundreds of Swarm drones. But as it happens with any path breaking technology, in the initial stages it pays rich dividends for example dynamite, guns, tanks, aircrafts but soon counter measures are also invented to neutralise or minimise the impact of such technologies. Research is on to counter swarm drone threats. An area which looks most promising to counter such threat may lie in the electronic and communication domain - it is just a matter of time when an effective counter UAV system would be developed. Even in the physical destruction domain efforts are on to find suitable weapon systems.

The number of flaws that were noticed in the Chinese demonstration of the world's largest swarm display on May 1, 2018 justifies this conclusion. 496 drones in the May 1, 2018 demonstration deviated from their path and few of them just returned back after taking off. This was attributed to GPS jamming. The other limitation of the Chinese drones is their limited scope in terms of range and GPS denied area operability. On the other hand, the US drones are air launched and can be recovered by aircrafts, operate upto 300 nautical miles and continue on their mission even in a GPS denied area of operations. Although the Chinese are actively pursuing research in making their drones jamming resistant and capable of operating in GPS denied areas there is a scope to disrupt this disruptive new warfare capability.

Advantages Offered by Swarm Drones Greater Survivability as the drones are difficult to detect hence chances of their survival is far greater as compared to manned aircraft. Similarly, being a network of weapon systems of multiple drones, even if they get detected and a few of them shot down, the function of the destroyed is taken over by other UAVs in the Swarm. However, if they get detected they are easy to shoot down. Houthi rebels have shot down a few drones of the US. An important conclusion that can be drawn from this is that the system may not survive against a contested battlefield environment with robust AD systems and offensive cyber-attack capabilities.

Cheaper Options to Armed Forces especially that do not enjoy conventional weapon superiority over their adversaries such as Pakistan over India or India over China. The drone technology is gaining popularity rapidly over countermeasure systems to such threats such as air defence or electronic countermeasure systems. As discussed weapon systems to counter drone technologies will be developed in the short term. Swarm drones are likely to rule the roost and if India is not to be left behind then at least in this technology it must quickly catch up with the world leaders.

Continued on page 10...

>> Army Aviation

Army Aviation — Present Status and Modernisation With the motto Suveg and Sudridh (Swift and Sure), the youngest corps of the Indian Army is growing in tactical importance, in the battlefield, as a force multiplier Photographs: Karthik Kumar / SP Guide Pubns, Boeing

 Lt General Naresh Chand (Retd)

operations. The intended roles of IMRH are to support air assault, air transport, combat logistics, combat search and rescue and casualty evacuation operations.

T

he present Army Aviation Corps (AAC) originates from the Air Observation Post (AOP) which was part of Indian Artillery. The role of AOP was to act as spotters to direct artillery fire on to the enemy targets which the ground based observers could not see. The introduction of helicopters to replace fixed wing aircraft revolutionised the AOP’s role. The AAC was raised as a separate Corps on November 1, 1986 and became the youngest Corps in the Indian Army. It now draws officers and other ranks from all ranks of the Army.

Multiple Roles. The main roles of the AAC on the modern battlefield are reconnaissance, observation, casualty evacuation, logistic support including carrying of underslung loads, combat search and rescue (CSAR) and Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR). It can also act as an airborne command post and communications relay station. It plays a vital role in counter insurgency and counter terrorism operations. Military helicopters are becoming a key element in the success of operations and with the fast developing technology, will gain more importance.

Attack Helicopters

Light Utility Helicopters (LUH) Current inventory. Presently AAC has about 185 helicopters (all types) in its inventory which include HAL’s Chetak (Aérospatiale SA 316 Alouette III), Cheetah (Aérospatiale SA 315Alouette II) and Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv.

The main inventory still consists of Chetak and Cheetah.

Cheetah. Cheetah is performing heroically on the Siachen Glacier since 1984. It is of French origin and now manufactured

by HAL. It has been upgraded many times but is now in need of urgent replacement.

Cheetal. It is the re-engined version of the Cheetah helicopter to enhance high altitude operational capabilities and maintainability as well as to provide a mid-life upgrade for safe and reliable operations.

The Artouste-IIIB engine of Cheetah was replaced with the modern fuel efficient TM333–2M2 engine with FADEC for better performance.

Chetak. It entered operational service in France during July 1971. The Alouette III was principally manufactured by Aérospatiale and was also built under licence

by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in India. HAL Chetak and has done great service to the Armed Forces as a utility and logistic support helicopter but now it needs urgent replacement.

Dhruv. Dhruv is a utility helicopter designed and developed by HAL. The development of HAL Dhruv was announced in November 1984 and it was subsequently designed with assistance from MBB in Germany. Dhruv entered service in 2002. It is designed to meet the requirement of both military and civil operators. Military versions are in production including transport, utility, reconnaissance and medical evacuation variants. HAL’s LUH and LCH, which are currently under development, are based on the Dhruv platform. As of October 2020,

(Top) Indian Multi Role Helicopter (IMRH) by HAL (Above) Boeing AH-64E Apache for India

more than 300 HAL Dhruv have been produced for domestic and export markets.

Future LUH Kamov Ka-226T. During 2012, the Army started the evaluation process for the selection of a LUH which included Kamov, Eurocopter and AgustaWestland. In December 2014, the Kamov Ka-226T was selected as the light utility helicopter to replace Chetak and Cheetah while the HAL Light Utility Helicopter was being developed simultaneously. It was also announced that the Kamov Ka-226T helicopter deal is the first major ‘Make in India’ project. The intergovernment agreement was inked in October 2016 and a production facility was to be

In December 2014, the Kamov Ka-226T was selected as a light utility helicopter to replace the Chetak and Cheetah while the HAL Light Utility Helicopter was being developed simultaneously.

established at Tumakuru, Bengaluru. Out of the 200 helicopters 135 were meant for the AAC. For the 200 Kamov Ka-226T helicopters production in India, Indo-Russian Helicopters Limited (IRHL) and Russian Helicopters Holding Company (part of Rostec State Corporation) had signed a roadmap during February 2020. However, the aspects of indigenous content of the helicopter deal has yet to be resolved thus the project is on hold since 2016.

LUH. LUH is designed and developed as a replacement for Cheetah and Chetak helicopters by HAL. It is a new generation helicopter in the 3-tonne class incorporating the state of the art technology features like Glass cockpit with Multi-Function Displays (MFD) and powered by single Turbo Shaft engine with sufficient power margin to cater to the demanding high altitude missions. LUH will meet the emerging needs in this class of helicopters in the coming decades.The helicopter will be capable of flying at 220 kmph; service ceiling of 6.5 km and a range of 350 km with 500 kg payload.

Indian Multi Role Helicopter (IMRH). The preliminary design of 10-tonne IMRH has been taken up by HAL to meet the requirement of the Indian Defence Services. Dedicated versions to meet the requirements of Airforce/Army as well as Navy are planned. The helicopter will be powered by twin engines and will feature blade folding option for ship deck

The Indian Air Force holds and operates attack Helicopters like the Mil Mi-25/Mi-35 but are under the operational control of the Army. AAC has plans to acquire its own armed helicopters. HAL is developing brief details of which are given below: Lancer. HAL has developed a light attack helicopter ‘Lancer’ which is a costeffective air mobile area weapon system. The basic structure of the Lancer is derived from reliable and proven Cheetah helicopter. The helicopter has bullet proof front panels and crew seat. It is optimised for anti-insurgency operations, close air support, suppression of enemy fire, attack on vehicular convoys, destruction of enemy machine gun positions and anti-armour applications. It can carry two jettisonable combination guncum-rocket pods-one on each side, each pod carries one 12.7mm gun and three 70mm rockets and has a gun sight provided for accurate aiming and firing by the pilot.

Rudra. Rudra is the weaponised version of the Advanced Light Helicopter (Dhruv) designed and developed by HAL to meet the requirements of Indian Army and Indian Air Force. The multi role light combat helicopter (LCH) of 5.8-tonne class is powered by two Shakti Engines. It can perform multiple roles like Anti-tank, Scout, Fire support, Armed reconnaissance and surveillance, Escort and EW platform.

Apache AH-64E. During June 2018, six Apache AH-64E armed helicopters were contracted to be purchased from the US for induction into the AAC. Earlier in 2015, orders for purchase of 22 Apache for induction into the IAF were placed and the order for Apaches for the Army will be completed only after the delivery to the Air Force of 22 helicopters.

The AAC has plans to procure 39 AH-64E helicopters which would be adequate for three AAC squadrons earmarked for the three Strike Corps. The Apache will be a major force multiplier for the Strike Formations adding tremendous fire power to their capabilities.

Some other future plans of the AAC are:Special operations squadron. A special operations squadron is being raised to provide dedicated integral aviation support to the Special Forces.

Heli-borne early-warning. Raising of a Heli-borne early warning flight has been planned for employing electronic warfare.

Light fixed-wing aircraft. The army is also planning to induct light fixed-wing aircraft in future for surveillance, command and control, and communication tasks.

In October 2019 President Ram Nath Kovind presented the President’s Colours to the Army Aviation Corps. With the motto Suveg and Sudridh (Swift and Sure), the youngest corps of the Indian Army is growing in its tactical importance in the battlefield as a force multiplier. However it will need to accelerate its pace of modernisation and offensive capabilities to become a battle winning factor. Chief of the Army Staff General MM Naravane announced recently that AAC will induct women pilots as well. SP

Aero India 2021 Special SP’s Land Forces

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>> Unmanned Aerial Systems

Army’s Eye in the Sky Pilotless Aircraft or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), better known as Drones are rapidly growing in popularity in various military operations due to their high convenience in reducing losses and enabling the execution of high profile and time-sensitive missions Photographs: DRDO, ideaForge

 Lt General Naresh Chand (Retd)

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here was a blitz of unmanned aerial vehicles unleashing their fire power on simulated targets, all destroyed with pinpoint accuracy on Army Day 2021. This was a live demonstration of technological prowess of India’s young engineers which made every Indian proud. The live demonstration of Drone Swarming capability using 75 indigenously designed and developed drones which executed an array of Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabled simulated offensive missions and close support tasks.

This demonstration is also a recognition of the Indian Army’s steady embrace of emerging and disruptive technologies to transform itself from a manpower intensive to a technology enabled force to meet future security challenges. This was also a great milestone for the Army and demonstration of the role of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs also termed drone) on the battlefield.

The term drone was first used in 1920 for remotely-flown target aircraft used for practice firing of a battleship’s guns. From providing target practice to carrying out intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) to being armed with a variety of armament; UAVs have come a long way due to the infusion of technology. From the smallest size equal to an insect to giants like Northrop Grumman’s Global Hawk and RQ-180; and from fixed wing to rotary UAVs; all types are in service. They are used by armed forces, coast guard, police and civilian organisations alike.

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UAVs with Indian Army Target Systems. The first UAV was RUM 2MB of Bulgarian origin which was used by the Army Air Defence (AAD) for target practice. This was followed by Northrop Grumman’s KD2R5 also used as a target for AAD. The development of Lakshya by DRDO was a great achievement to provide high subsonic aerial target system for air defence missile systems of the Army as well as for the Indian Air Force and the Navy. Army Air Defence also acquired BTT-3 Banshee which is an aerial target system for training their crews.

Searcher UAV. Searcher UAV of Israeli origin was procured by Surveillance and Target Acquisition (SATA) units of Artillery for acquiring targets in depth and providing post firing battle damage assessment.

It is developed by Israel Aerospace Industries and the upgraded version i.e. Searcher Mark II is operated by Indian Armed Forces.

It can carry a payload of 70 kg and endurance is 18 hours.

Nishant. Developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) of the DRDO. Nishant is a multi-mission UAV launched through a Mobile Hydro Pneumatic Launcher with Day/Night capability.

Its role is battlefield surveillance, reconnaissance, target tracking and correction of artillery fire. It has a sophisticated image processing system for analysing the images transmitted from the UAV. The air vehicle has autonomous flight capabilities and is controlled from a Ground Control Station. Nishant is a highly mobile, compact and easily deployable system.

It is recovered with Aero Conical Parachute and impact attenuation system. An onboard flight control and navigation sys-

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(Top) DRDO's Rustom–II; (Above) ideaForge’s SWITCH UAV

tem enables the aircraft to fly in autonomous Way Point Navigation mode. A few Nishant UAVs were inducted in the Indian Army but have crashed.

DRDOs Micro & Mini UAVs. Micro UAVs and Mini UAVs have been developed

by ADE along with Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR-NAL). These vehicles have an endurance of 20 minutes to one hour. Three Micro UAVs namely Black Kite, Golden Hawk and Pushpak have been designed and developed. These are fully autonomous air vehicles. Two variants of two kg class FWMUAV are developed - the Imperial Eagle and Slybird. A gimbaled payload provides ISR information and a video tracking system ensures the continuous ISR information during the flight and a state of the art Ground Control station controls the entire mission from launch to recovery. An Image processing system provides the processed data in near real time, to take action, on the available ISR information. Imperial Eagle and Slybird are comparable in the same class such as Raven.

DRDO’s Rustom-1. Rustom-1 is an all composite, 800 kg class Short Range Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (SR-RPAS)

The Indian Army has just signed a contract for approximately $20 million (about `140 crores) for undisclosed quantities of a high-altitude variant of ideaForge’s SWITCH UAV

SP’s Land Forces Aero India 2021 Special

capable of carrying out ISR, Target Acquisition/Tracking and Image Exploitation missions. Rustom-1 is the first Indian RPAS to have conventional take-off and landing capability. It has autonomous flight mode and Get-To-Home features. Rustom-1 RPAS has completed 65 flights and demonstrated flight endurance of 10 hrs, range of 200 km and an altitude of 20,000 ft. Upgradation of SR-RPAS with Automatic Take-off and Landing (ATOL), Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and load carrying capability is possible.

Rustom-II. This is an Air Force requirement but at some stage Army may also use it. Rustom-II (Tapas), is a medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) UAV. Rustom-II has achieved eight-hour flight endurance at 22,000 feet and efforts are now on to take the endurance closer to 24 hours at 30,000 feet, as per the user requirement. Earlier Rustom-II had flown in the satellite communication (SATCOM) mode for the first time. It had also flown with the long-range electrooptical payload. It is understood that it has also flown with a 250-km line of sight mission in 2020. A proposal for a high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) UAV is likely to be sent to the government this year for which HAL will provide the engine. Additional flight trials of Rustom-II have been planned this year to prove various endurance, range and altitude specifications set by user. ideaForge’s SWITCH UAV. The Indian Army has signed a contract in January 2021 for approximately $20 million (about `140 crores) for undisclosed quantities of a highaltitude variant of ideaForge’s SWITCH UAV which will be delivered over a period of one year. ideaForge has been awarded this contract after it emerged as the only vendor that qualified over Indian and Global manufacturers in meeting the operational requirements after an evaluation done in actual terrain and conditions of employment. It is

being procured under fast-track procurement. The contract marks a strategic shift in the Indian defence procurement process as the Indian Army goes on an aggressive modernisation drive. ideaForge is an IIT-Bombay incubated company, which manufactures UAVs. With this contract ideaForge becomes India’s largest manufacturer of drones for defence, homeland security and industrial applications. SWITCH UAV is an indigenous system built to cater for the most demanding surveillance operations of the Indian Forces.

This Fixed Wing VTOL (Vertical Take-off and Landing) UAV can be deployed at high altitude and harsh environment for day and night surveillance in ISR missions. It is manportable and has the highest time on target compared to any other UAV in its class. The high-altitude variant of Switch UAV is small enough to be used by infantry soldiers. It has an endurance of > 120 minutes, line of sight range of 15 km, weighs < 6.5 kg, maximum launch altitude is 4000 m above mean sea level and maximum operating altitude of 1000 m above ground level. It can operate during day and night. It has user friendly Ground Control Station (GCS) which features high range communication box, hand held controller and a laptop/tablet with required software like pre flight check, graphic maps with video and real time streaming.

Indian Army’s in House Development.

In 2019 it was reported that a team of two soldiers have developed a UAV, called quadcopter and has been used in live operations along the LOC. Other details are not known.

Armed UAVs General Atomics MQ-1 Predator that was used primarily by the US Air Force and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for aerial reconnaissance and forward observation but later on, it was modified and upgraded to carry and fire two AGM-114 Hellfire missiles or other munitions around 2001. Since then there has been no looking back by the US and the armed UAVs have been extensively employed in the Middle East, Afghanistan, Pakistan and in many other conflicts.

Indian Perspective DRDO. Rustom II with its heavier frame, greater payload capacity and higher endurance is likely to be the indigenous platform of choice for an Indian armed UAV fleet.

Work is already underway to integrate Helina anti-tank missile with Rustom.

Autonomous Unmanned Research Aircraft (AURA) is another project of the DRDO which is an autonomous unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV). The design work on the UCAV is being carried out by Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA). Details of the project are classified but it is likely to be called Ghatak. Currently it is meant for the Navy and the Air Force. Army may acquire it in the future if required.

Heron. It is learnt that the MoD has approved the upgrade of Heron UAVs for the Army, which will include a few of them being armed. This decision comes amid the India-China standoff at the LAC. Army Day Parade 2021 Live Demonstration. It has not been disclosed as to the Armed UAV which carried out the live firing demonstration on Army Day Parade 2021. That UAV will also be most suitable to carry out the surgical strikes and other fire missions across the LOC and the LAC. SP

>> Unmanned Combat Systems

The Looming Drone Threat Drones provide an opportunity to getting close to the target and bring an “unmanned” weapons platform from which force can be launched via remote control. Drones also provide maneuverability of the platform, in close vicinity to the target, allowing more precise targeting. In this age of technology, Drones were bound to happen and are here to stay.

Photographs: SP Guide Pubns, US Army

 Lt General P.C. Katoch (Retd)

world. The expanding array of relatively low-cost drones can offer countries air power at a fraction of the cost of maintaining a traditional air force. The situation in NagornoKarabakh also underscored how drones can suddenly shift a long-standing conflict and leave ground forces highly exposed.

T

he combat swarm drone demo on Army Day 2021 with drones engaging multiple targets brought home the realities of new age warfare to most Indians. However, this was just a glimpse of the complexities of future employment of large-scale unmanned platforms in conflict by opposing forces, particularly for a country like India with vast borders and inimical neighbours.

China-Pakistan

Background Some historians trace employment of drones back to the mid 1800’s when balloons were used by European armies albeit others cite Chinese using bamboo-drones as far back as 202 BC. The US developed drone weapons in 1917 during the WW I but these were not deployed prior to the end of the war in 1918. In WW II, drones were deployed as surveillance craft. Post WW II, the Cold War witnessed extensive use of drones for spying and surveillance by both the US and USSR. In late 1970s and 80s, Israel developed the ‘Scout’ and ‘Pioneer’ drones – leading to a shift towards glider-type drones in use today. During the Yom Kippur War in 1973, Israel deployed target drones (Ryan Firebee) fooling Egypt into firing all the anti-aircraft missiles thus enabling Israel to exploit depleted Egyptian defences. In late 1980s, Iran deployed a drone armed with six RPG-7 rockets during the Iran-Iraq War. In 1982, Israel Air Force integrated drones as weapons, reconnaissance tool and decoys into the battlefield during the Lebanon War. Exploiting drones for surveillance, electronic warfare, and decoys under Operation ‘Mole Cricket 19’, Israel completely neutralised the Syrian air defence with not a single pilot casualty to Israel; depicting highly successful Suppression of Enemy Air Defence (SEAD) campaign.

Above innovative tactics by Israel led to other countries investing heavily in drone research and development. US gradually added systems, weapons, and sophisticated precision controls to its drone arsenal culminating in the Predator MQ-10 drone system. Today, drone systems have emerged as a favored way of delivering precision strike autonomously or with some human control at the point of contact. Drones have proven effective and reliable across a wide range of climates, terrain, and battlefield environments. Technological advances have led a continuous line of military, civilian and commercial applications.

Types and Tasks Drones can be multi rotor, fixed wing, single rotor helicopter of fixed wing hybrid vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL). Multi-rotor drones are the easiest to manufacture and cheapest available commercially. Multirotor drones can be Tricopter, Quadcopter, Hexacopter or Octocopter. In the fixed wing drone category many countries have converted military and civil use planes to drones – like China converting Russian AN-2 to drones. Hybrid VTOL’s are a play of automation and manual gliding. Gyros and accelerometers work in automated mode (autopilot concept) to keep the drone stabi-

(Top) DRDO's Rustom–II; (Above) General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper

lised in the air. Remote based (or even programmed) manual control is used to guide the drone on the desired course.

A combat drone can be used for intelligence operations; reconnaissance, target acquisition and precision strikes using a variety of ordnance like missiles, anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) or bombs/mines in hard points. These drones are usually under real-time human control, with varying levels of autonomy. Without onboard human pilot and associated equipment, these drones can be smaller than a manned aircraft though not always necessary. Militaries are operating unarmed and armed drones; as small as 16 gram Black Hornet Nano with a two kilometre range to the 40 feet Wingspan Global Hawk bigger than most commercial airliners. Drones, especially smaller varieties, can also be tasked for cyber attacks, assassinations with onboard facial recognition capability, delivering chemical, biological and radiological leads, as well as logistics support in the battlefield.

Post 2000 Employment The US used drones against the Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. Coalition forces have used drones for bombing operations in the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as targeting terrorist leaders. The ISIS used commercial drones for monitoring movement and inflicting casualties on Iraqi and coalition forces’ troops, deployed in ISIS controlled territory. In January 2018, Russia’s airbase and naval base in Syria was struck by terrorists using drone swarms. Hezbollah too has been using drones frequently. The Yemen-based

Houthis launched multiple drone strikes on two Aramco oil facilities in Saudi Arabia causing extensive damage. On January 3, 2020, a US drone strike killed General Qasem Soleimani, Commander of Iran’s Quds Force, outside the Baghdad International Airport along with some Iraqi officials.

Above are just few examples, but the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict over NagornoKarabakh in 2020 brought to fore how drones can be effectively uses to destroy enemy troops, tanks, and artillery and air defence systems. In the instant case, Azerbaijan had a clear advantage. Videos of destruction being caused became a daily affair on social media while the conflict was on. Azerbaijan also had the benefit of Turkish-Pakistani intervention by way of mercenaries and regular troops in covert mode fighting on its side. The maximum casualties Azerbaijan inflicted on Armenia was through drones; Israeli Harop loitering munitions ‘Kamikaze Drones’ and Turkish Bayraktar TB2 armed drones. Azerbaijan also innovatively deployed a decoy dronebiplane causing Armenian military to activate their radars and missile batteries disclosing their positions before unleashing the main armed drones’ assault.

A news report from Moscow in November 2020 read: Drone strikes — targeting Armenian and Nagorno-Karabakh soldiers and destroying tanks, artillery and air defence systems — provided a huge advantage for Azerbaijan in the 44-day war and offered the clearest evidence yet of how battlefields are being transformed by unmanned attack drones rolling off assembly lines around the

China’s PLA operates both medium altitude long endurance (MALE) and high altitude long endurance (HALE) drones. The MALE drone fleet consists of three main types; BZK-005, GJ-1 and GJ-2 drones. GJ-1 and GJ-2 are the domestic in-service variants of the original export oriented Wing Loong I and Wing Loong II systems. Both are equipped with electro-optical (EO) turrets and can launch air-to-ground missiles KD-9/10 laser guided ATGMs. GJ-2 is able to carry a larger payload and is equipped with synthetic aperture radar for target acquisition. GJ-1 and GJ-2 are considered to be PLA equivalents of America’s MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper drones respectively.

PLAs HALE drone fleet consists of the WZ-7, WZ-8 and GJ-11. WZ-7 is primarily for reconnaissance but there is speculation it will be fitted with sensors suitable for designating naval vessels for targeting by antiship ballistic missiles and cruise missiles.

The WZ-7 was deployed during the Doklam Standoff with India in 2017. Since 2018, WZ-7 with supporting infrastructure have been reported at bases - Shigatse Airbase in Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), Lingshui Airbase on Hainan Island and Yishuntun Airbase near the China-North Korea border. The GJ-11 stealth drone and WZ-8 supersonic reconnaissance drone were both unveiled at the 2019 National Day parade.

The GJ-11 internal weapons carriage capacity could accommodate two 500 kg guided bombs or eight 100 kg guided bombs.

On January 12, 2021, China tested its jet-powered ‘WJ-700’ HALE drone that can fire missiles. The WJ-700 was first unveiled at China’s main airshow at Zhuhai in November 2018. The turbo-jet powered WJ-700 with maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 3,500 kg and endurance up to 20 hours has two ‘hard points’ under its wings to enable carriage of missiles to hit ground and sea targets.

In May 2018, China demonstrated a swarm drone of 1,374 quadcopter flying together which was a world record. During PLA exercises in 2020, the new Aoshi XC25 electric attack drone was observed, which can fly for two hours up to 75 kilometers without recharging batteries. China’s unmanned helicopter AR-500C for plateau operations was successfully flown which can be used for reconnaissance and communications relay with optional functions including electronic disruption, target indication, fire strikes, cargo delivery, and nuclear radiation and chemical contamination reconnaissance. PLA conducted series of utilisation training with an integrated drone swarm-armoured vehicle combat system. China has demonstrated launch of over 200 swarm drones from a 48-tube launcher and from a helicopter.

The NESCOM Burraq is Pakistan’s primary drone which carries multiple imagery and motion sensors, and is equipped with Continued on page 10...

Aero India 2021 Special SP’s Land Forces

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>> ARMOURED

Death Knell of Tanks: Fact or Fiction With attention shifting to cutting-edge technologies like robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomous drones, the logic behind maintaining large, legacy platforms has been brought into question Photographs: Wikipedia, Wikipedia / Vitaly V. Kuzmin, Nexter Systems, UK MoD, bmc.com.tr, KNDS

 Lt General R.K. Jagga (Retd)

T

he recent conflict in Azerbaijan - Armenia region and the exaggerated claims of the tank kills has once again brought into focus the debate on the relevance of armour on the battlefield. The analysis of photos and videos in social media of battle in the region points to the fact that not only tanks but all types of other vehicles including dug in infantry are at risk. Therefore, to conclude based on these videos about the tank’s demise is contentious.

The Ongoing Debate The discussion on the relevance of armour has got intensified because the UK army is debating the role of heavy armour in their context. The UK delayed the modernisation of its tank fleet and is now facing the dilemma of an expensive upgrade or replacement programme. The present fiscal constraints of UK are exacerbating the issue and driving the reappraisal of the role of armour. So, the debate in UK defence circles is because of resource crunch and has nothing to do with the importance of armour in the modern-day battlefield.

It is not the first time that the relevance of tank is getting debated in defence circles.

Since the tanks came onto the battlefield this debate has raged off and on. The Attack helicopters came and consequently many a naysayer predicted the demise of tanks.

However, the relevance of the tank did not diminish but increased with new concepts and combined arms operational philosophy.

The tank fleet all over the world militaries kept expanding because, in any war which is fought on the ground and for the ground, the tank is undisputedly the most flexible and versatile weapon system. Cometh the war clouds, all commanders at all levels want more and more armour - the deployment of tanks in High altitude by both India and China is a testimony to this fact!

Modern Battle Tanks are Equipped with latest weapon systems and have tremendous ground combat capability: (Top left) K2 Black Panther Tank; (Top right) T-14 Armata Tank; (Middle left) Leclerc Main Battle Tank; (Middle right) Challenger 2 Battle Tank; (Above left) ALTAY Tank; (Above right) European Main Battle Tank (EMBT)

Upgrading the Armoured Fleet

www.spslandforces.com

All over the world, countries have been modernising their Main Battle Tanks. Russia has been steadily modernising and expanding armoured forces. The German’s too are focusing efforts on its armoured force. And so are US, France, China, Israel, and most other militaries. The modernisation is happening despite the advent of sensors and shooters.

The large-scale destruction of armour in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was mainly due

There is no denying the fact that the paradigm of ground warfare has changed with the arrival of drones, the other precision weapon systems and the increased lethality of anti-tank weapons

to wrong employment, bad tactics in open barren terrain, poor skills as well not adhering to the principles of combined arms warfare.

Nonetheless, there is no denying the fact that the paradigm of ground warfare has changed with the arrival of drones, the other precision weapon systems, and the increased lethality of anti-tank weapons. There is no gainsaying that in the ever-changing modern battlefield, the combined arms fighting concept needs revision. The tank needs to improve technologically to increase its survivability and the tactics will have to be modified. The main threat to a tank today besides another tank is the air and other precision weapon systems. And this is especially true in the open terrain. Every military equipment has some inherent limitations and tank is no exception.

No one can fight and win wars alone. At the National strategic level, it is whole of nation approach which leads to strategic gains in world affairs; similarly, in the war zone, all weapon systems must be integrated and employed in a manner to achieve victory.

Changed Battlefield The modern battlefield is getting filled with

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SP’s Land Forces Aero India 2021 Special

sensors and it is becoming easy to pick up adversaries’ movement, both by day and night; the sensor and shooter integration can inflict heavy losses on advancing armoured forces. But all these threats can be countered - electronic jamming of sensors and drones, Air Defence weapon system to fitting active protection system on armoured vehicles; better tactics and good training skills can overcome the terrain disadvantages. The grouping of forces for any operations will be critical to success; jammers and adequate air defence weapons will be an essential component of any combined arms force. As per reports, Russia has deployed its ‘Belladonna’ drone killer system in Armenia to counter Azerbaijan’s use of Turkish-made Bayraktar. The Russian system is ascribed with knocking out at least nine Turkish Bayraktar armed drones used by Azerbaijan to target Armenia. This goes to show that well trained combined arms forces can counter this threat from air.

However, the fact remains that the density of drones is going to increase in the modern battlefield and the composition of combined arms forces will have to find the balance to achieve the desired result in the battlefield.

Relevance of Tanks The modern battle space demands changes yet abandoning tanks will be a grave mistake for any army. Any country which retires tanks thinking that drones/air/ electronic jammers/long-range artillery/ missiles would win them wars would face strategic costs and will be left behind.

Militaries world over continue to invest in armoured forces as they carry a great punch, are potent versatile weapon system and have tremendous ground combat capability. Land warfare is about holding and capturing ground. To capture the ground, you need to assault the ground; armour remains a critical component of the assaulting forces. The classical World War II tank vs tank battles may not take place, but the tanks will remain the centrepiece of the array of weapon system employed on the modern battlefield. Only time will tell what changes will take place in the tank’s design, size, shape, form etc but in the end, it shall always be called tank. The death knell of tank is a sheer exaggeration - the Tank is here to stay and will continue to be part of new-age warfare. SP

>> TECHNOLOGY / MUNITIONS

Loitering Munitions Meeting the Challenge of Time-Sensitive Targets

Mini Harpy loitering munition during launch

O

n modern battlefields, it is critical to quickly spot the enemy and act on real-time information. The precise location of the enemy in modern combat is not always known, even if the general area of their activities can be determined.

Persistent surveillance of a broad area, timely detection, and quick engagement of the enemy, immediately as targets emerge, are imperative to dominate the modern battlespace. Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) loitering munitions specialize in missions such as these.

The loitering munitions weapons are designed to operate in complex arenas and to detect moving targets on foot or in a vehicle. Having a loitering munition in the sky with the right sensors is the most efficient way to deal with such adversaries. IAI's family of loitering munitions is the ideal match for the time-critical, elusive, and evasive fleeting enemy targets of the modern battlefield. These loitering munitions resem-

Mini Harpy loitering munition

ble an alert hunter on the prowl, patiently watches, and waits for its target to reveal itself, then pounces just at the right time.

Loitering munitions can stay in the relevant area of combat operations for an extended time, and use sensitive electrooptic or anti-radiation sensors to cover and acquire an entire area in which enemy activity is known to be happening.

Ground forces can operate loitering munitions from a distance, further back behind the frontline, or on the frontline, using portable tablet-based controls.

A Legacy of Loitering Munitions In the 1980s, IAI pioneered the loitering munitions field with its development of the Harpy platform, as a method to overcome intelligence gaps around enemy activity.

Later, the larger Harop platform was born.

In recent years, IAI has continued to act as a trailblazer in the area, introducing several loitering platforms that serve the tactical level.

Among others, these include the electrically powered Mini Harpy, equipped with

ROTEM quadcopter

dual-homing capabilities - utilizing antiradiation and electro-optical seekers.

Weighing 40 kilograms, the Mini Harpy is vehicle-launched, like the Harop. With a broadened capability spectrum, Mini Harpy can utilize all sensors simultaneously. By employing the radiation-sensors, day and night, and electro-optics sensors at the same time, the Mini Harpy enables the user to cover broader areas, and look for targets more effectively, rather than searching for them through a straw. The Mini Harpy has an anti-radiation sensor which cues the camera on-board. The Mini Harpy carries a warhead with eight kilograms of explosives.

It can strike targets within a one-meter accuracy. Its operating range is 100 kilometers, enabling ground units to extend operations deeper into a hostile area or employ offensive weapons from far back if needed.

IAI's Rotem quadcopter munition is the second tactical loitering solution offered by IAI, designed for employment by the ground forces and the individual soldier at the small unit level. With a range of 10 kilometers, it

is relevant for units up to the battalion level.

Lightweight, compact, and affordable, Rotem enables individual soldiers to put eyes in the sky, over the hills, beyond the line of sight, and strike the enemy as soon as targets appear.

The Rotem provides tactical field units with a new advantage against adversaries.

If it does not receive authorization to attack, the Rotem can fly back and be retrieved safely, have its battery replaced, and immediately deploy on a new mission. It carries electro-optical day and night sensors.

IAI's loitering munitions don't just hover in the sky. Like alert hunters, they ensure that ground forces are monitoring the right area, waiting to detect and pounce on targets as soon as they appear.

By empowering the tactical and operational level, loitering munitions enable ground forces and special operations elements to arrive at the battlefield with game-changing advantage, by overcoming intelligence gaps and dealing effectively with the elusive 'disappearing' enemy.' SP

striking targets in a jamming environment: it allows receiving detailed information on the targets under active jamming with changing intensity. Next generation munitions with the function of artificial intelligence are the most effective means of destruction in present-day conflict.

The Indian Army is aware of the above developments but modernisation has been constrained with successive yearly defence allocations that have been negative in actual terms. Military in India has been kept away from strategic security formulations by the bureaucrats who rule the roost and on whom the political hierarchy is dependent for advice. Reduction of manpower of PLA by China was cited for reducing the size of our Army as also technology substituting for the soldiers. No one asked where the ground threat to China is and what is the technology fielded in the Indian Army to substitute the soldiers. Yet the current Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), when Army Chief, went for changes in the Army’s structure and reduction of manpower in complete isolation without touching the bloating civilian-defence employees eating into the defence budget, even making bizarre recommendations like promoting Colonels directly to Major General Rank.

In the Army’s context, too much talk of coming AI-enabled systems which will take years to be fielded can create blind spots. This should be avoided. Recall that

the report of the Standing Committee on Defence tabled in Parliament on March 14, 2018 had brought out that 68 per cent of the Army’s equipment holdings were in ‘vintage category’. Nothing much is likely to change in the near future notwithstanding what rhetoric is ‘planted’ in media.

But we must use our national resources to develop future military technologies in conjunction our strategic partners bilaterally.

The US National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence has recently proposed a US-India strategic technology alliance for developing a technology strategy and research on emerging technologies in the field of defence and security. We must take advantage of such offers.

At the same time, we must be ready for fighting the new-age war including swarm drones and hypersonic platforms, both in defensive and offensive operations. In terms of drone warfare, we need both ground and air-based anti-drone systems, not just for close protection like the SMASH 2000 rifles being procured by the Navy. The character of war will continue to evolve. The Indian Army is making changes and adapting to the new changes as best as it can. However, it needs the support of the government and no unnecessary interference by the CDS. Government must also shed its inhibitions and give the Army free hand for launching cross-border sub-conventional operations. SP

>> lead story Future Army and Evolving... continued from page 3 Militaries world over are developing ‘Exoskeleton Suits’ to lighten the load of soldiers and help provide support for muscles and joints, enabling soldiers to walk longer with less muscle fatigue and to minimise risk of injury when lifting something heavy. Synthetic textile innovations and sensors will sense when a joint is being stressed and provide more support to the area instantly.

Work is under way also on development of brain implants to monitor and control the emotions of mentally ill subjects, including soldiers with post-traumatic stress issues and personality disorders. Research is being done to develop microscopic devices that could be injected through a needle into specific areas of the peripheral nervous system where they would monitor and regulate nerve signals, helping to treat injured organs. A futuristic face mask with special software that can reduce a soldier’s perception of pain simply through engagement in virtual game to distract the mind during physical therapy to reduce pain is being developed. Super-packed blood cells are being researched to infuse modified blood cells packed with vaccines, antitoxins, antibodies and synthetic and natural healing agents designed to quickly neutralise pathogens.

Technology has always been used to produce improved tools of warfare. The present knowledge age, is unfolding an unprecedented revolution in technologies as described above. The ongoing Chinese

aggression launched in Eastern Ladakh during May-June 2020 has served as a wakeup call for India. There has been a flurry of missile and rocket tests but it will take continued focused research and development (R&D) to equip and modernise the military that was deliberately put in the cold storage over the past decades. R&D in defence has suffered because the private sector is not given a fair opportunity other than fake promises. Had the private sector been given a free-hand, our military would have been equipped with indigenous drones for multiple tasks years back. Our government-owned ordnance factories waste crores of rupees producing faulty ammunition and cannot meet the military’s requirements.

Indian Scenario It is a shame that with the size of governmental defence-industrial set up that we have, India was the second highest defence importer in the world during 2019 after Saudi Arabia. We have isolated successes like the recent demonstration of quantum communications between two laboratories but that is not much consolation. We are years behind China in many aspects of military technologies including drone warfare.

Interestingly, Russia has developed analytical software for smart munitions that makes them resistant to electronic warfare systems. The new system of radio-electronic protection has increased the accuracy of

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>> Technology / Unmanned Combat Systems Swarm Drones — New Frontier... continued from page 4 Effectively beats legacy AD Systems as proved in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict especially when faced with swarm drone attacks. However, their chances of success against integrated AD systems of leading powers like the US, Russia or China is highly debatable which are networked and layered comprising long, medium and short range weapon systems to defend their air and land space. Without a networked and layered AD system even the US systems failed to detect the Houthi drone attack on Saudi Oil Company facilities. The Air Defence systems today must be supported by electronic warfare and specialised counter unmanned systems (C-UAS) to defend against Swarm Drone attacks.

Disruptive Effect against Ground based Weapon Systems. During the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict the Armenian tanks, Mechanised Infantry vehicles, artillery guns and limited Air Defence weapon systems were picked up and destroyed like ninepins by the Azeri drones supplied by Turkey and Israel thus proving a point that efficacy of such weapons in a limited AD environment will do wonders. It also gives an opportunity to countries like India to redefine their force structuring and military capability development. The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has proven that a small conventional force led by persistent drone attacks is not only a lethal and potent option but also a cheaper option. Although critics might say that we

can operate with impunity after achieving air superiority or favourable air situation but in a swarm drone battle space this may just be partially true. The primary weapon platform of the ground forces, the tank, also came under fire from the drones thus suggesting that probably tanks will now have to carry a C-UAS system with them to ensure their security like an anti-missile system.

Limited effect of Terrain, Camouflage and Dispersion was distinctly visible as highlighted by Michael Kofman writing in Moscow Times. The drones were able to overcome the terrain and camouflage advantages of the ground forces through onboard sensors and reconnaissance equipment of the drones.

Similarly, with loiter capability and mass drone employment the dispersion tactics was also neutralised. The Armenians Armed Forces had no chance in hell to fight the Azeris who were larger in numbers (Azerbaijan is ranked 68th to Armenia being 100th in Global Firepower Index) and better in quality due to strong backing by Turkey and even supported to a limited extent by the Israelis.

and we better be amongst the leaders in this domain. While there are a number of strategic lessons to be learnt from the NagornoKarabakh conflict, it is military lessons highlighted above that should be of concern for us. India is deadlocked into perpetual conflict with Pakistan which greatly resembles the setting of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Moreover, in recent times India is dealing with an aggressive and expansionist China and locked into a prolonged eyeball to eyeball conflict in Ladakh whose prognosis remains uncertain. We must also be cognisant of the fact that China today enjoys a significant edge in drone technology in fact it is almost in league with the world leader the US. So where does India stand. Sadly, while a number of startups have sprung up in this sector, we have a long way to go. While interacting with a few players and experts it was realised that a decisive public-private partnership backed strongly by the Ministry of Defence in collaboration with the world leaders (USA, Israel or UK) in this technology is the only way to catch up with China.

Where does India Stand?

Conclusion

India recently demonstrated a swarm drone technology demonstration with Quadcopters on Army Day 2021. However small it may be but it has definitely indicated the intent of the Indian Armed Forces to move in this direction. It is the next frontier of warfare

Fortunately, in keeping with the above approach India has also commenced development of such a system in collaboration with the US as part of the 2 Plus 2 Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI).

However, with the advent of the Biden era it

needs to be closely watched whether this initiative will be taken forward on high priority.

Meanwhile, HAL is also working in collaboration with a startup “New Space Research Technology.” The proposed system is named as ‘Air Launched Flexible Asset-Swarm’ (ALFA-S). It is likely to be a 1 – 2 meters long canister based drone capable of being launched from air crafts / helicopters. As per HAL, it may take upto two years to develop a prototype. Similarly, as discussed earlier we need to develop the ability to deal with such threats. Solutions have to be found both in terms of ability to shoot them down and neutralizing them through electronic warfare. Writing is clear on the wall, unless we remain abreast with the world leaders in niche technology areas of defence we will remain handicapped in any future traditional or non-traditional threats. India must ensure that the “Swarm Drone Attack System” is based on the principles of size of the swarm, survivability of the drones and the mix of the various types of drones in operations both for conventional and unconventional threats.

Likewise, based on this emerging frontier of warfare India should review it's warfighting doctrine, concepts, capabilities and if need be modifying its force structure. It is a highly competitive and devastating battlefield of the future and we need to match up to the changing dynamics of warfare and technologies associated with it. SP

The Looming Drone... continued from page 7 the laser guided air to surface missile ‘Barq’.

In October 2018, China’s state media reported China will sell 48 x Wing Loong II high-end reconnaissance, precision strike and multi-role long-endurance drones to Pakistan and that these will also be jointly manufactured by the two countries. Wing Loong II has a range of 4,000 km with top speed of 280 km/h and is equipped with satellite link. This was repeated recently by Chinese media. There has also been news past two years about Pakistan buying China’s Cai Hong-4 (CH-4) MALE-class drones.

With deepening Pakistan-Turkey relations, Pakistan also has access to Turkish drones and counter-drone systems though not without payment.

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Threat Envelope With increasing influx of drones, technology empowering drones more and developments in India’s neighbourhood, the drone threat envelopes India’s internal and external security; given the China-Pakistan dual threat and insurgencies-terrorism fanned and supported externally. At the top of this template is the drone swarm threat. Swarms of small drones in future would be able to carry electronic warfare jammers, emitters that mimic the signals of larger aircraft, equipment capable of conducting cyber attacks, or other systems to confuse or overwhelm an opponent’s defence ahead of or during a more complex operation. US, Russia and China are leaders in drone swarm technology. America’s Offensive Swarm Enabled Tactics (OFFSET) programme and Low-Cost UAV Swarming Technology (LOCUST) can fly autonomously but can also be controlled manually.

Swarm drones can be launched not only from air or from ground by an operator but also through systems like China’s drone swarm-armoured vehicle combat system. By releasing an interconnected drone swarm, the armoured vehicle on the ground can understand the battlefield situation much faster than using only a single drone, not to mention lowering the risk of casualties compared with sending troops. Drones can also be armed or launch suicide attacks, which will give the commanding vehicle a

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deadly way to attack; swarm means there would be many coordinated drones at their disposal, and it would be very difficult to intercept all of them.

joint facility in Hyderabad for manufacturing Hermes 900 and Hermes 480 medium altitude long-endurance UAVs for the Indian and global market.

Indian Scene

Countering the Drone Threat

Indian Military has been using Israeli Heron drones which may be armed with lasers in the future. SeaGuardian drones have been inducted in the Navy on lease recently. 75 indigenous drones that can also be used for combat missions to target enemy positions have been inducted into the Indian Army in phases since August 2020 to boost Army’s surveillance capabilities and undertake targeted strikes to assist troops on the ground.

The Indian Army is in the process of signing a `140 crore deal for SWITCH drones with indigenous firm IdeaForge and the Army Chief has stated that Army is working with the Defence Research and Development (DRDO) to meet Army’s drone requirements. In October 2020, DRDO tested the Rustom 2 surveillance drone. News reports of January 11, 2021 indicate progress in the DRDO’s drone programme ‘SWiFT’ which is stealth test-bed technology demonstrator. SWiFT UAV is a scaled-down version of ‘Ghatak’ drone.

In 2017, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) began developing the Combat Air Teaming System (CATS) in conjunction NewSpace Research and Technologies.

Armed with stealth and artificial intelligence (AI), CATS is designed to fly nearly 100 km ahead of conventional fighters to engage enemy. One Sukhoi Su-30 can carry 30 to 40 of these kamikaze-type drones.

Three types of drones are being developed including a glide bomb and an air-launched swarm drone system named ‘Alpha-S’ - a metre-long drone carrying 1.5-tonnes of explosives, designed to be air-launched from fighter aircraft. The drones fly in formation at speeds of 100 kmp/h scouting targets of opportunity including missile sites to attack them. The Indian Air Force (IAF) has done preliminary testing of CATS in Pokhran but its fielding was estimated to take another two-three years. In December 2018, news reports indicated that the Adani Group and Israel-based Elbit Systems had established a

An indigenous Anti-Drone System developed by the DRDO was successfully tested on February 21, 2020 in destroying a drone. The system is equipped to instantaneously detect, identify and destroy hostile drones. The test was done ahead of the visit of US President Donald Trump to India. The system was deployed during Trump’s 22 km long road show accompanied by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Ahmedabad airport to Motera stadium to attend the ‘Namaste Trump’ event. The Navy is procuring Israeli Smash 2000 Plus rifles as anti-drone equipment to protect against attacking drones.

India obviously is looking to procure/ develop other anti-drone systems including lasers and the like in addition to the military’s existing air defence systems. In doing so, the focus should include destroying every drone in the enemy swarm drone, not just the capability to launch as big or bigger swarms than the enemy. Partial destruction of a large enemy swarm drone could still leave the advantage with the enemy. Therefore the need is to also have drones that kill drones. Russia is developing a helicopter drone to assist anti-aircraft weapon systems in their counter-drone missions. The project has been accelerated after commencement of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan began in mid-2020. This new drone helicopter will track down small and lowspeed enemy drones at low and extremely low altitudes, thus filling a void in Russia’s military capabilities. India definitely needs drone-killer drones. While seeking advanced counter-drone technologies, it would be prudent to visualise that most futuristic drones, big and small, may be based on stealth and moving at much faster speeds than today if not all hypersonic.

SP’s Land Forces Aero India 2021 Special

Issues for Policy Makers Indian policy makers need to seriously reflect on the following: l India has the best of brains but drone

technologies of countries like Iran and Turkey are far ahead despite these countries under sanctions – why is this so? l Is our total reliance on the DRDO that has kept us behind, lack of policy directive or both which is responsible for our current state? l Why have we woken up only because of the 2020 Chinese aggression in Ladakh despite the deployment of drones, past so many years around the world? l Isn’t it high time the private sector is fully integrated in equipping our defence forces? l In addition to indigenous drones and counter-drones technology for destroying enemy swarm drones completely, we should also be looking at technologies for: capturing live enemy drones electronically; identifying decoys to conserve own effort; destroying enemy drones through electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attacks individually and in swarms. l Large influx of drones would merit review of the command and control set up in the military, to include procedures not requiring to look over the shoulder in emergencies like sudden swarm drone attacks at high speeds. l Mere mention of AI and robotics sends our armchair strategists screaming for reducing strength of the Army. Let us not be naïve and learn from the Divisions being rushed to plug gaps along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) while the dual-front threat continues. We can ‘right-size’ the Army after AI and robotics have been fully fielded.

Conclusion With their cost effectiveness and proven lethality in operations, drones will form a definite part of militaries. Swarm drones with inbuilt redundancies should undoubtedly a cause for worry. India has just begun taking elementary steps for countering the vast drone threat. Future drones are going to be much more lethal and agile. However, with sustained focus and deliberate efforts, we must aim to build requisite capacity in the shortest possible time-frame. SP

>> News / APPOINtMENTs Meeting between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Foreign Minister of Nepal Pradeep Kumar Gyawali

5th India-Singapore Defence Ministers dialogue

ised and transported by sea and air in close coordination with all agencies. The exercise culminated with the beach landing operations by elements of Amphibious Brigade from INS Jalashwa, Airavat, Guldar and LCU MK-4 class of ships with 600 troops along with tanks, troop carrier vehicles and other heavy weapons.The areas in which the exercise was conducted holds strategic significance for India.’

Russia’s Anti-UAV System "Rat" The Foreign Minister of Nepal Pradeep Kumar Gyawali called on Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi on January 16. The Foreign Minister is in India for the 6th India-Nepal Joint Commission Meeting. During his interaction the Foreign Minister conveyed his greetings from the leadership of Nepal and expressed his desire to deepen the bilateral relations. He also expressed thanks for all the assistance provided by India. The Defence Minister reciprocated the sentiment and emphasised that India-Nepal relations are underpinned by unique people-to-people linkages. Both the dignitaries expressed their satisfaction at the excellent militaryto-military cooperation. Defence Minister stated that India is ready to provide Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief training & capacity building of Nepal.

India’s first indigenously 9mm Machine Pistol India’s first indigenous 9mm Machine Pistol has been jointly developed by DRDO and Indian Army. Infantry School, Mhow and DRDO’s Armament Research & Development Establishment (ARDE), Pune have designed and developed this weapon using their respective expertise in the complementary areas in a record time of four months. The Machine Pistol fires the inservice 9mm ammunition and sports an upper receiver made from aircraft grade Aluminium and lower receiver from carbon fibre. 3D Printing process has been used in designing and prototyping of various parts including trigger components made by metal 3D printing. The weapon has huge potential in Armed forces as personal weapon including for closed quarter battle, counter insurgency and counter terrorism operations etc. The weapon is aptly named “Asmi” meaning “Pride”, “Self-Respect" & “Hard Work”.

13th India-Vietnam Defence Security Dialogue

Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar, cochaired the 13th India-Vietnam Defence Security Dialogue along with his Vietnamese co-chair Sr Lt General Nguyen Chi Vinh, Deputy Defence Minister, Socialist Republic of Vietnam on January 12, 2021. During their virtual interaction, Defence Secretary and the Deputy Defence Minister expressed satisfaction at the ongoing defence cooperation between the two countries in spite of the limitations imposed by COVID 19.

They also exchanged views on the plan of action that has emanated from the recently concluded Virtual Summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam H.E. Nguyen Xuan Phuc in December 2020.

New areas of defence cooperation were also discussed.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh co-chaired the 5th India-Singapore Defence Ministers Dialogue along with Dr Ng Eng Hen, Minister for Defence, Republic of Singapore on January 20, 2021. During their virtual interaction, both Ministers expressed satisfaction at the progress of ongoing defence cooperation engagements between the two countries despite limitations imposed by ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Defence Minister conveyed his compliments on effectiveness of pandemic mitigation measures implemented in Singapore. He also highlighted the role of our Armed Forces in combating COVID-19 and various missions undertaken to assist in repatriation of Indians stranded overseas. Both Ministers also expressed satisfaction at the growing defence ties between the two countries.

The Ministers witnessed the Signing of the Implementing Agreement on Submarine Rescue Support and Cooperation signed between the Indian Navy and Republic of Singapore Navy. Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar was present during the meeting.

Indian Army signs MoU with SIDM on indigenisation and innovation partnership

An MoU between the Indian Army and Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM) was signed on January 21, 2021 to provide further impetus to indigenisation under the Prime Minister’s vision of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’. This MoU was signed on the occasion of 25 Years of Army-Industry Partnership with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). Collaboration between the Indian Army and industry started in 1995 with the indigenisation of spares and has progressed to major defence platforms and a wide range of weapons and equipment. The Army has reorganised itself by aligning both the revenue and capital routes of procurement under Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Capability Development & Sustenance). Army Design Bureau (ADB) has been established to act as a direct facilitator with the industry and thereby connect the defence manufacturers directly with the user.

‘Tri-service Exercise Kavach and AMPHEX-21 in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal The above exercise was conducted under the aegis of Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) involving assets of Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard and involved participation and deployment of all forces of ANC, elements of Amphibious Brigade of Army’s Southern Command along with corvettes, submarine and amphibious landing ships of Navy’s Eastern Fleet and Marine Commandos. Jaguar Maritime Strike and transport aircraft from Indian Air Force and assets of Coast Guard also participated. Prior to amphibious landing operations, troops of the Army, Navy and Air Force were mobil-

Ruselectronics’ multifunctional mobile system to combat UAVs called "Rat", was demonstrated at the Russia’s Army2020 forum. The Rat is based on a special armoured vehicle and is equipped with a full range of UAV detection and suppression equipment to protect critical objects from unauthorised UAV intrusion. The system includes a radar station, a complex for automatic recognition and suppression of telecommunication channels, a system of directed ultrahigh-frequency (microwave) suppression and a system of directed laser destruction. All the equipment is integrated into a single intelligent system for collecting, processing and displaying information. The system detects UAVs at a range of up to 3.5 km and can carry out directional suppression of UAV control channels within a radius of up to 2.5 km.

The operator of the system can also physically destroy the drone using a system of directed laser radiation.

New Ammunition for Russian Tornado-S Multiple Rocket Launcher The Tornado-S multiple launch rocket system is the successor to the Smerch MLRS with improved tactical and technical characteristics. The main components of the system are a modernised combat vehicle, based on the BM MLRS "Smerch" and a new guided missiles. NPO SPLAV has developed a 300mm guided missile with HEAT-fragmentation warheads. The missile flight is controlled using a control system unit built on the basis of a strapdown inertial navigation system associated with a satellite navigation system. Each of the projectiles can be assigned individual para metres is not only in terms of flight range but also along the trajectory for their deployment to various targets. The range of guided missiles is over 100 km. The firing accuracy of the Tornado-S shells is 15-20 times higher than that of the Smerch MLRS shells. The weight of the projectile is more than 800 kg, penetrates armour up to 140mm.

Rheinmetall modernising armoured recovery vehicles for the Dutch Army The Royal Netherlands Armed Forces have awarded Rheinmetall an order for the second phase of the modernisation of their fleet of Bergepanzer 3-Büffel/Buffalo armoured recovery vehicles (ARVs). The operational effectiveness of twenty-one vehicles will be upgraded. The order is worth a mid-doubledigit euro million figure. The work will start immediately and Rheinmetall will completely overhaul another 21 Bergepanzer 3 Büffel ARVs of the Royal Netherlands Army. SP

APPOINtMENTs l Lt General Chandi Prasad Mohanty took over as the 42nd Vice Chief of the Army Staff (VCOAS) and will take over on February 1, 2021.

He was commissioned in June 1982 into the Rajput Regiment. l Lt General Shantanu Dayal took over as the first full Deputy Chief Capability Development and Sustenance (CD&S) at Army Headquarters in January 2021. He was commanding 4 Corps before he took over as DCOAS (CD&S).

Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Jayant Baranwal Deputy Managing Editor Neetu Dhulia Senior Editorial Contributor Lt General P.C. Katoch (Retd) Senior Technical Group Editor Lt General Naresh Chand (Retd) Air Marshal B.K. Pandey (Retd) Principal Correspondent Ayushee Chaudhary Contributors India General V.P. Malik (Retd), Lt General Vijay Oberoi (Retd), Lt General R.S. Nagra (Retd), Lt General S.R.R. Aiyengar (Retd), Major General Ashok Mehta (Retd), Major General G.K. Nischol (Retd), Brigadier S. Mishra (Retd), Rohit Sharma Chairman & Managing Director Jayant Baranwal Executive Vice President (Planning & Business Development) Rohit Goel Manager – HR & Admin Bharti Sharma Assistant Manager – HR & Admin Pooja Tehlani Deputy Manager – Circulation Rimpy Nischal Group Research Associate Survi Massey Design Vimlesh Kumar Yadav, Sonu Singh Bisht Group Director – Sales & Marketing Neetu Dhulia Deputy Director – Sales Rajeev Chugh SP’s Website Sr. Web Developer: Shailendra P. Ashish Web Developer: Ugrashen Vishwakarma Published bimonthly by Jayant Baranwal on behalf of SP Guide Publications Pvt Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, photocopying, recording, electronic, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publishers.

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