A Rs 25,000-crore business proposition awaits the country's public and private sectors in electronic warfare, the science of electronically dodging and attacking the enemy, according to top Defence scientists.

Speaking on Tuesday ahead of the second international conference on EW, Dr Srihari Rao, Chief Controller (Electronics), DRDO, said military labs were equipping the three forces with futuristic EW or intelligent devices, including radar warners, missile warners, electronic and leak-proof communication intelligence, jammers and detectors.

These would be fitted on ground vehicles, ships and also on unmanned combat air vehicles, fighter planes and even future satellites to enhance the military's ‘seeing and hearing' ranges.

According to Mr I .V. Sarma, Director (R&D), Bharat Electronics Ltd, BEL is currently a major provider of EW hardware and solutions to the military.

A rising set of private industries was also getting into the game.

Of the total EW pie for the decade, Rs 10,000 crore each would go into kitting out the Army and the Air Force while the Navy's ship-based systems would get the rest. BEL manufactures the indigenously developed radar warning receivers, totally worth Rs 2,000 crore and which are fitted on all IAF fighters and helicopters.

A DRDO brief said the EW systems would counter modern arms that were being used by mercenaries and terrorists and in low-intensity warfares such as Kargil.

Advanced systems are being developed at Defence Avionics Research Establishment, Bangalore, and Defence Electronics and Research Laboratory, Hyderabad.

3-day event

BEL is also co-sponsoring the three-day EWCI event from Wednesday along with DRDO and the military scientists' body, the Association of Old Crows India. Some 400 delegates, including users, planners, developers, suppliers, testers and trainers of modern EW systems and public and private industries are expected at the event.

> madhu@thehindu.co.in

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW