India is to develop its own electronic warfare system

Bangalore, (IANS): A senior defence official informed on Wednesday that India is developing its own radar-based electronic warfare system (EWS) with two test ranges in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh to equip its armed forces for modern wars.

State-run Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) chief controller Prahlada said here, “An indigenously developed radar-based EWS will be ready by 2013, with test ranges at Chitradurga in Karnataka and at Tandur near Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh.” Cost of each test range is estimated to be about Rs.200 crore.

Prahlada said the radar-based sophisticated communication system would use electromagnetic spectrum for attack, protection and warfare support to destroy the combat capabilities of an enemy, the modern day wars cannot be fought and won without EWS. The fourth-generation EWS is being developed by the state-run Defence Avionics Research Establishment (DARE) and Defence Electronics Research Laboratory (DERL).

Prahlada said at the first India National Electronic Warfare workshop, ”The prowess of electronic warfare system was amply demonstrated by the US armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. A prototype EWS has been integrated with MiG-27 fighter for test flights.” The workshop was organised by the India chapter of Association of Old Crows (AOC), based at Virginia in the US.

The Chitradurga aeronautical test range, which will come up by 2012 at the DRDO’s 4,000-acre campus in the state, about 200 km from Bangalore, will be used for communication-based EWS and the Tandur range will be used for non-communication EWS.

Prahlada told about 300 delegates. That the testing centres will be operational by 2012. As per the plan, EWS will be integrated with MiG-29, Jaguar, Sukhoi-MKI-30 of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas by 2011.

“Our goal is to develop the fourth-generation EWS by 2012 because without electronic warfare, you cannot win a war. Once you have it (EW capability), you have to test it, you can’t wait for a war to test it,” he added.

Currently, EW systems are being tested in the IAF range at Gwalior in central India. Once the air version of EWS is integrated and operational, the naval and army versions will be developed simultaneously.