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Indian Army To Buy New Electronic Warfare (EW) Systems

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The Indian Army’s modernization plan has given a thrust on Electronic Warfare (EW) systems. The procurement of EW systems to the  tune of $1 billion will include Integrated Electronics Warfare Systems [IEWS], Low Intensity Conflict Electronic Warfare Systems (LIC EW), Mobile EW systems and the homegrown systems like Samyukta EW systems.

The Indian Army is acquiring advanced Integrated Electronics Warfare Systems [IEWS] for quicker attacks and added stealth. It  will be a fully digitized system capable of monitoring the status of several system units and supply control signals to adapt to various operating conditions.

The IEWS will be customized to provide real time information to the battlefield level and will have advance communication  technologies which will permit exchange of voice, digital and video data with other systems. It will also have geo-location technologies that will provide navigation information in built-up, forested and mountainous environments. The systems will also be equipped with tactical surveillance and targeting and automated ultra-miniature imaging and non-imaging sensors.

The IEWS will consist of one Countermeasure Control Centre [CCC], one Command Post, one Special Informational Warfare Operations [SIWO] unit, one Psychological Operations Shelter [POS], one Satellite Interception System [SIS], four Control centers, twenty Relay/Repeater Stations for Radio relay and five Mobile Stations and high mobility light vehicles.

As for the mobile EW systems, India had issued a tender in 2006 worth $150 million which was sent to U.S. firms Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics, France’s Thales, Rohde & Schwarz of Germany, Rafael and Elta of Israel, and India’s state-owned Bharat Electronics Ltd. (BEL) and Electronic Corporation of India Ltd. (ECIL). However, a fresh tender will be floated.

The Indian Army has recently floated a global tender for the purchase of Low Intensity Conflict Electronic Warfare Systems (LIC EW). The  EW systems will be used in mountainous regions, plains and jungle terrain along the borders of India.

According to officials, tenders have been floated for single EW system but the emerging bidder will be given substantial orders. The EW systems must incorporate the ability to search, detect, intercept, locate, monitor and jam all modulation types of state of the art modulation modes, including digital modulation. The system should have the capability to intercept and jam GSM, CDMA,  TDMA, WLL based radio transmissions originating from the mobile communication based systems. The EW systems should have automatic search capability of frequency band from 1.5 MHz to 3000 MHz.

The system will have three independent functional blocks which is the Control Center (CC) Blocks. The individual platforms will comprise one CC Block of the Integrated Systems hence there will be Control Centre (CC) (one), Cellular  Communication  Interception  Subsystems (CCIS) (one), Reconnaissance and  Direction Finding Station (RDFS) (three), Short Direction Finding Base  Station (SDFBS) (three ), Jammers HF (JS-H) (one), Jammers VHF-UHF (JS-U) (three) and Radio Relay Repeater Station (RRRS) (two).

The main sub-centre where all the system elements will be integrated through intercommunications system will be the Control Centre (CC) and it should have the  capability to interface for accessing the data base and supervise function of subordinate  entities.  The CC should have the capability of ESM( Electronic Support Measures) and ECM (Electronic Counter Measures ) system assignment..

The CCIS must provide passive interception of all types of currently available cellular networks, and should have the capability  to selectively jamming a particular link and should intercept Base station traffic at a range of 35 kilometers.

On the other hand, India is also developing indigenous EW systems like Sangraha EW system for the Navy and Tempest for the Air Force besides the Samyukta EW system. The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO)’s  Samyukta EW project had faced setbacks due to the unavailability of sub systems.

However, help of state owned companies Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL), Electronics Corporation of India Ltd (ECIL) and corporates like Computer Maintenance Corporation [CMC] and private sector  defence major Tata Power have put it right back on track. The Samyukta system would be inducted in early 2009. The system is meant for mobile, tactical battlefield use and is configured using Tatra vehicles with each system capable of collecting  intelligence along the borders and beyond up to over 25 kilometers. Samyukta system can jam enemy signals while ensuring that its own signals are intact.

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