Military & Aerospace

Modernisation of the Aviation Arm
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Issue Vol. 28.1 Jan-Mar 2013 | Date : 08 Feb , 2013

Ka-52

Recce and Observation Helicopters

The existing vintage fleet of Chetak/Cheetah is planned to be replaced by new generation helicopters for which the field trials have already been completed. Only the political nod is required for their induction.

Armies all over the world have directed substantial efforts in improving their rotary-wing inventory…

Light Utility Helicopters

In order to provide tactical mobility to a small body of troops in TBA, the induction of the Advanced Light Helicopter has already commenced. This helicopter, which has both day and night capability, has undoubtedly proved its mettle in past exercises.

Tactical Battle Support Helicopter

To provide dedicated tactical mobility at the field formation level there is a plan to get Tactical Battle Support Helicopter (TBSH) to the army in the near future.

Attack Helicopters

October 12, 2012 will go down in the history of the Indian Army and Army Aviation Corps as a red letter day with the Ministry of Defence (MOD), after decades of vacillation, finally taking the call on the crucial issue of the ownership and operations of Attack Helicopters. In order to support armoured formations, induction of the LCH is already planned for future induction. However, having heavy duty attack helicopters cannot be ruled out.

Special Operations Squadron

A Special Operations Squadron is also planned to be inducted in the AAC for dedicated aviation support to our special task forces.

AW-101 Merlin

EW Flight

To exploit the electronic warfare efforts, the raising of Heli-Borne Early Warning has also been planned.

Light Fixed Wing Aircraft

The AAC is also planning to have one fixed-wing flight per command consisting of five aircraft to cater to its operational, logistics including causality evacuation and communication tasks. These aircraft can be of ATR/Dornier class. HAL is also planning to induct the Multi-role Transport Aircraft (MTA) 20-tonne class to replace the AN-32. For this, they plan on a tie-up with Russian company Irkut Corporation. The Indian Army is also eyeing this aircraft to be inducted in its fleet.

HAL is also planning to induct the Multi-role Transport Aircraft (MTA) 20-tonne class to replace the AN-32…

Technological Advancements

The planners making these material changes to current force inventories must bear in mind that all the equipment is going to stay in service for next two to three decades. Accordingly, the selection of equipment has to factor in requisite upgrades to match the latest technology, if required, at a later stage. Moreover, the selection will depend on the type of operations which are envisaged keeping in mind our neighbours and their capabilities.

Attack helicopters or helicopter gunships as they are also known as have become almost instantly, identifiable given their prevalent use in combat zone as seen in Iraq and Afghanistan operations. Attack helicopters have the capability to engage targets on the ground as well as in the air allowing them to perform multiple roles. The modern attack helicopters need to adapt at providing anti-tank capability and close air support for ground troops. Some of the latest attack helicopters available in the world are Eurocopter (Tiger), Boeing AH-64 Apache, Bell AH-1z (Viper), Kamov KA50/52, WZ-10 (Thunder Fire), WZ-19 (Blank Tornado) and AW-129 multi-role helicopter.

Other technological advancements which need to be kept in mind while selecting these machines are optical recognition and non-line of–sight. Communication is a key area which requires attention so that army aviation can contribute to the success of operations in the field. Self-protection suite, observation and targeting systems to include high-definition imaging turrets, enhanced day and night capable helmet mounted displays, state-of-the-art night vision goggles, army digital network-centric communication for integration with the battlefield environment, installations of friend and foe sensors, tactical data link-voice control will be necessary. An ultra-violet approach warning system, which has certain advantages over similar radar or infra-red based detectors are meant to warn the pilots of approaching missiles to enable them to take counter-measures. This project is with Bharat Electronic Limited. There are many other countries such as the US, Israel, Germany and Sweden who use such systems.

Boeing Phantom Eye UAV

Presently, some of the helicopters fitted with these Aerial Early Warning systems are Augusta Westland EH-101, Kamov Z-31, Mils MI-172-2, Sikorsky AR 2s-1W, Sikorsky SH 3H and West Sea King AE2/5/ASc C-7.

Unmanned Aerial System (UAS): Present and Future

A number of countries have already launched futuristic programmes with the latest technologies which cater for size, shape, and payload. The US has already started the development of its Next Generation-Unmanned Aerial System (NG-UAS). Our immediate neighbour China has already displayed 40 models during its different air shows. This is a matter of concern for us. It is a foregone conclusion that very soon, our adversary Pakistan will have these Chinese-built aerial systems. The versatility of UAVs to destroy hostile targets has been amply demonstrated particularly against terrorist camps in Iraq and Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, a pin-point target has been destroyed with accuracy. Similarly, the US used the first ever unmanned helicopter in Afghanistan to carry out resupply missions in a combat zone.

All the three services need to draw up a roadmap for development and induction of UAVs in India.

India inducted the Unmanned Vehicle (UAV) in the late nineties; initially, Searcher Mk I, Searcher Mk II and finally, the Heron UAV. UAVs are great force multipliers and they must be used in synergy between all three services till the time we have a sufficient number of UAVs in our inventory. Primarily, the UAVs are utilised by the army for intelligence gathering including reconnaissance and surveillance, direction of artillery fire, battle damage assessment, aerial photography, target tracking and localisation, target designation (using integrated laser target designator) but they need to be exploited much more than their present use.

Presently, India’s holding of UAVs is very low and definitely there is need of much greater quantities to meet the battlefield requirements of the future. In the Indian environment, there is an immediate need to weaponise these UAVs for precision targets.

The Indian Armed Forces need to judiciously examine the future requirement of UAVs and not ignore the use of unmanned helicopters. As far as the army is concerned, at the strategic and operational level, there is a definite requirement for Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAV) and short-range loitering missiles. At a tactical level, hand-launched mini UAVs will be required. The country’s premier agency in the aviation sector, Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) has handed over NISHANT and is in the process of developing RUSTOM and the Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) for our armed forces. The ADE should also look at military application of unmanned rotary wing for the future.

Boeing A160T Forester

In the end, we do require a very large number of these systems to fulfill our requirements. All the three services need to draw up a roadmap for development and induction of UAVs in India. Till the time we become self-sufficient in our production, we must identify the latest systems in the world. We must procure UAVs from Israel, one of the best and advanced producers of UAVs. Till we have an adequate number of these systems we must synergize their utility among the three services for their effective use.

Conclusion

In conclusion, one can only say that army aviation is on the threshold of major material change and modernisation. It, therefore, becomes more pertinent for the planners to have a roadmap which is far-sighted and sustainable for the years to come to meet the multi-role requirements of our forces. Sufficient thought should be given to the provision for latest upgrades at subsequent times. With UAVs having played a very crucial role in Afghanistan and Iraq wars, the use of UAVs along with our air assets cannot be ignored for optimal results.

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The views expressed are of the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions or policies of the Indian Defence Review.

About the Author

Brig TS Gill

Brig TS Gill, former Commandant, Combat Army Training School and Brig Aviation, Western Command.

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2 thoughts on “Modernisation of the Aviation Arm

  1. Looking at the Eurocopter and the Apache variant, the Apache is a weapons platform, and the weapons are supposed to be effective, before considerations for the aircraft’s defence are even considered. All the weapons are beyond visual range, and if the avionics and weapons systems are not as good as the competition, the Apache is not as flyable as the Eurocopter Tiger. The Tiger is supposed to have less targets than the Apache.

  2. I have a few questions

    Shouldn’t we have more jointness in out armed forces, with more sharing of each other’s expertise, rather than have independent resources? Shouldn’t we have more joint theater commands like the Andaman & Nicobar command?

    Why can’t we learn from the war-fighting experience of US in Iraq and Afghanistan, where the Pentagon came to the conclusion that jointness is the way forward. What are the reasons due to which Indian Armed Forces can or should not adopt such a model?

    Is it the political class, the bureaucracy or the armed forces which do not like jointness in the services, and why?

    Thanks!

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