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| Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles for IAF | | IAF's endeavour to reduce 'Sensor-to-Shooter' time | | DEFENCE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI, NOV. 5: Air Chief Marshal SP Tyagi has disclosed that while Air Headquarters has one objective in mind--that is, air dominace-- the Indian Air Force (IAF) will go in for Unmanned Combat ASerial Vehicles (UCAVs)
The Chief of Air Staff has said that whatever the type of war or hostilities, the IAF's endeavour would be to reduce the 'Sensor-to-Shooter' time, and that is where the UCAV capability would play a big role. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) carry only cameras and sensors to detect movement of aircraft, vehicles and men. An air force, he observed, is the first to engage a threat. Whether it is aircraft, sensors, missiles or UAVs/UCAs being inducted or considered by the IAF, Air Headquarters had one objective in mind: air dominance.
Air Chief Marshal SP Tyagi told the latest issue of India Strategic magazine that the IAF had 'completed' its planned induction of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) required for surveillance and it was now moving towards the armed UCAVs for offensive roles. He said in the interview: "We do not have them yet, but in due course we need to acquire them due to the emerging symmetric and asymmetric threats".
He did not give details but said that the IAF was aiming at precision delivery of weapons to minimize collateral damage on the one hand and to maximize destruction of a target on the other, on all its aircraft whether manned or unmanned. The UCAVs, armed with precision weapons, would enhance that capability. An advantage of the pilotless UCAVs is that they can loiter around on routine patrols. Once their cameras or sensors detect an already programmed threat, or if they are directed towards a perceived threat, they can immediately engage it and neutralize it.
The Chief of Air Staff has also disclosed that the IAF has operationalised its UAV systems which are being employed to carry out a variety of missions. In fact, he added, IAF has been using the UAVs for some time and "it is now in the process of integrating them with various combat platforms to help generate a common picture and to reduce the Sensor-to-Shooter time". The integration of the IAF's assets, through net centricity and advanced communications, including through space, would multiply the force's punch manifold.
Acording to Air Chief Marshal Tyagi, any threat to the country is to be tackled by all the three Services. Accordingly, steps are under way to share and complement one another's resources. The Army, the Air Force and the Navy are using UAVs, which were all procured from Israel. Commonality of platforms makes them cheaper and easier to maintain.
Various firms from the United States and Britain are also offering UAVs to India, particularly as their requirement is bound to grow in the coming years. Although not cheap, a UAV or UCAV is expendable, unlike a combat jet that has to be manned by an experienced pilot.
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