Saturday, Jun 28, 2003
Saturday, Jun 28, 2003 |
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By Our Staff Reporter
Future wars would be fought through air and aerospace. "So one day we will need that (a dedicated satellite)," he told presspersons after attending the Indian Air Force's (IAF) annual commanders' conference (June 25 to 27) at the Training Command Headquarters here. Citing the example of satellite television, which delivered news faster through broadcast vans and satellites, the Air Chief said the military too needed to adopt similar technology for speedy communication and thus, faster decision-making. "The Central Command can use satellite imagery to transmit identified targets to the cockpit so that the pilot's mission is successful," he said. Real-time application of space technology offered speed, flexibility, and accuracy and "although utilisation of such technologies seem futuristic, it was seen in Iraq recently where B-52 bombers from far-off bases were given instructions (about targets) after being airborne," he said. In the next two years, special IAF commandos would protect air bases and other key installations in the country. The "ground protection" force numbering a "couple of hundreds" was being raised from the existing manpower and training for it had begun. The force was raised in the wake of recent "attacks" on Air Force stations and bases in Srinagar and Guwahati as well as international events such as the attack on the Colombo airport. The Air chief stressed the need for indigenous technology and software so that "we can be secure". Giving examples of such indigenisation, he said the "mission computer", at the heart of India's latest supersonic fighter Sukhoi-30 MKI, was built in Bangalore at the Defence Avionics Research Establishment, an outfit of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Besides, the IAF was developing software applications for its use from the Bangalore-based Software Development Institute. Appreciating the work done by information technology firms here, he said some were doing special systems for the space and military organisations in the U.S., he said. He later went to Infosys Technologies to "explore" if the IT major could participate in India's indigenisation efforts in avionics. A Commander of the U.S. Air Force, who visited Infosys last year, was impressed by the quality of the company's work. On Friday, Infosys reportedly made a presentation (about the company) to the Air chief. Later this year, the Air Force plans a "reality campaign" in engineering colleges and the Indian Institutes of Technology to get young people to experience life in an Air Force station and hopefully transform them into new recruits. The IAF had interacted with institutions and State Governments, in this regard. Campaigns by the private sector had taught them a lot. Although the IAF was not short of men, there was no "proportional representation from all the States, so that was being bridged. For example, they had launched a campaign in Tripura, which used to send 10 to 15 people. "This year the number is 110." The youth were of "high quality" and some fit to be officers.
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