The complex & onerous task of defending airspace

In the intervening night of May 7-8, Pakistan attempted to engage a number of military targets in northern and western India using drones and missiles. These were neutralised by the Integrated Counter-Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Grid and other air defence systems, the Ministry of Defence said on Thursday.

The places that were targeted included Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj,

Besides being significant politically and economically, some of these centres are also home to critical military establishments, including airbases and formation headquarters, making them important wartime targets.

Several types of air defence systems would have been employed to counter these drones and missiles. All air defence elements across the western theatre, including surface to air missile batteries, have been on high alert since India announced retribution for the that terrorist attack at Pahalgam.

Protecting such centres, many of which also have a large civilian population co-residing, is a complex and onerous task that requires a large infrastructure, heavy equipment, multi-tier security architecture and an effective command and control network that can detect, track and neutralise various types of aerial platforms, including aircraft, helicopters, drones and missiles operating at different speeds and altitudes.

Traditionally, the defence of air space was focused around aircraft and missiles, but the proliferation of drones of various sizes, some as small as 20 inches across and easily available commercially, has added a new dimension to counter aerial threats as their use can be exploited by terrorists. Already, their increasing use for cross-border smuggling has raised serious concern.

In India, the responsibility of air defence rests with the Indian Air Force, which it executes with an arsenal of radars, fighter aircraft and surface to air missiles. The Army also has a large air defence network of short and medium range missiles and guns, but these are primarily intended to defence its field formations during maneuverers. The Navy is responsible to protect its assets at sea.

India has a layered air defence system that starts with short range or point defence against incoming aircraft or missiles just 2-6 kms away, to shooting down platforms about 400 kms away. Work is also underway to develop an indigenous shield against incoming ballistic missiles.

Over the last about five years, a great deal of emphasis is also being laid on developing and deploying different types of anti-drone systems, which are also being integrated into the air defence network.

Air Defence revolves around a network of high powered static radars that constantly scan vast swaths of airspace, monitoring the movements of aerial platforms and relaying a constant feed to sectoral command centers, which are further linked to field units. It is these field units that are equipped with anti-aircraft missiles and guns, generally radar controlled, that engage the threats.

Standard protocols and operating procedures are laid down to identify threats and declare a platform as hostile, and there are designated officers who are authorised to issue orders for shooting down an aircraft.

Airborne Early Warning aircraft like the A-50 and Netra, that are transported with radars mounted on them, are also used to scan the skies during operations and guide aircraft or ground-based systems against threats.

Besides carrying out combat air patrols with armed fighters during hostilities, the IAF maintains operational readiness platforms (ORPs) during peacetime. ORPs are a pair of armed fighters stationed at specified airbases that can be ‘scrambled” for interception at a moment’s notice in case of any airspace violation or if any aircraft is marked as a threat.

Systems in India’s arsenal include the long-range S-400, the latest acquisition from Russia and reportedly used to counter Pakistani drones and missiles. Other systems are the Indigenous Akash medium range missile, Israeli SpyDer and Barak as well as older systems like the Soviet-origin Pechora, OSA-AK, Tunguska, Strela and Shilka. Point defence systems include the L-40/70 guns and shoulder launched Igla missile.

Several indigenous radars to meet different operational requirements have been developed indigenously. Besides the Akash, missile systems being developed indigenously include the short-range and very short range air defence system, as well as a long range missile with a range fo about 350 kms.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation has also conducted trials to intercept ballistic missiles as part of a multi-layered defence system, using a modified Prithvi missile.  Other means to neutralise aircraft drones and missiles through directed energy weapons like lasers are also on the anvil

Air defence systems like Israel’s Iron Dome and the US Patriot, have also come under scrutiny during the ongoing conflict in West Asia, where these were used to intercept hundreds of ballistic missiles fired at it.