NEW DELHI, May 15:
IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal A P Singh on Friday said drones and other unmanned aerial systems are no more just eyes in the sky, rather they are now akin to “claws in the sky”, being an extension of air power.
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In his address at a defence seminar themed on unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and counter-UAS, he asserted that in any modern aerial threat, complete domain awareness is the key, and there should be “total coordination” among the three services which will be operating in the same air space.
“We have seen what happens… if you don’t have domain awareness, you don’t know where your people are and where others are. We’ve seen what happened to F-15 in Kuwait. The fratricide part. So we cannot afford to have things like that,” the IAF chief said, referring to the incident on March 1 in which three US F-15E Strike Eagles went down over Kuwait due to an apparent friendly fire, according to the US CENTCOM.
The seminar is being co-hosted by think-tank Centre for Aerospace Power and Strategic Studies (CAPSS) and Indian Military Review (IMR) publication, at the IAF’s Subroto Park here.
The drones, UAS and counter-UAS are very relevant today; it is a reality and not something for the future, the IAF chief said.
“So, there is no denying that the battlefield has shifted. We are shifting totally from those very concentrated air power to a sort of decentralised and autonomous way,” he added.
The air chief marshal underlined that the UAS is an “extension of air power”.
“So all the rules of air power will apply when you use the UAS, just remember that. And, they are no more eyes in the sky. They are like claws in the sky now. This, we’ve seen it in the recent conflicts that have taken place. And we also realised that during Operation Sindoor, and this part cannot be forgotten,” he asserted.
“And, when it comes to counter-UAS, it is like a cat and mouse game. You develop technology in one field; the counter technology has to develop along with it. Because that is how the game can be played, otherwise, one side will have total advantage,” the IAF chief said.
“You can’t always have force versus force. It has to be force versus defence and others.”
Singh recalled the key role of the Indian Air Force during Operation Sindoor, the decisive military action by India during May last year.
“I think we’ve done reasonably well in Op Sindoor. And why that happened, because there was coordination. Without coordination, without central, agency coordinating it. Without having that IACCS (Integrated Air Command and Control System) becoming a nerve centre, whether it is counter-UAS or counter-weapon or counter-aircraft, it wouldn’t have been possible,” he said.
“So, we were successful, we were successful… none of their weapons systems landed upon target. None of their UAS landed upon target, is because we were operating in a manner that is the way to go,” he added.
A swarm of drones were sent in multiple waves by the adversary during the nearly four-day conflict, which were countered effectively by the Indian forces. (PTI)
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