The Indian Air Force (IAF)’s decision to equip itself with a satellite based information gathering system as part of its ‘network centric warfare’ (NCW) programme will have to wait as the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is yet to get an approval for it. Key to the IAF’s NCW strategies, the satellite will provide a major boost to its abilities. The Navy already has an exclusive satellite, Rukhmini, which ISRO calls GSAT-7. “The satellite will be crucial in addressing our network communications and help network the sensors and weaponry better,” said a retired air vice-marshal. Network centricity will aid pilot awareness and give battlefield commanders a better picture of a war scenario.Air Vice-Marshal Sandeep Singh, Commandant, Aircraft & Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE), an elite IAF organisation which tests the worthiness of all new aircraft and equipment, said, “The file is in progress and we should soon have a dedicated satellite.” Singh said the decisions were being taken at the Air Force headquarters and by ISRO. He, however, confirmed that the IAF will soon be migrating to the indigenised version of GPS, using ISRO’s Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS).
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
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