Brij Bhardwaj
The four-day Indo-Pak war, described as one of the costliest wars, and the Russo-Ukrainian war, have changed the way in which future wars will be fought. There will be no dogfights as aircrafts will target each other with long range radars and guidance provided to them by satellites and hit targets with missiles. In addition, both sides will use drones which are cost effective as they can be manufactured by the hundreds at the cost of a modern fighter plane.
What additionally comes into play is the defence system which detects the drones the moment they take off and tries to destroy them in the air and prevents them hitting their targets. In this context it may be mentioned that the defence system procured by India from Russia proved more effective as compared to the Chinese system deployed by Pakistan. The home-made Indian drone Akash was more than a match for the Turkish made drones used by Pakistan.
With drones and missiles hitting the sky it is predicted that the utility of fighter planes and helicopters used for the support of land forces may be reduced. According to a New York Times report based on satellite images, India caused a lot of damage to Pakistan’s air bases. The most daring of these attacks was on the nuclear facility of Pakistan, which caused alarm the world over. Satellite images confirmed heavy damage to Pak air bases and a nuclear facility.
The targets hit caused at least one base to stop operation while the other hit was on a hangar where planes were kept.
It may also be mentioned that initially India attacked only alleged terrorist camps and hideouts at nine specific places in which it was claimed that a large number of terrorists, including some guilty of attacks in India, were killed. This was confirmed in the funerals held in which Pakistan senior army officials participated, establishing a direct link between the army and the targets.
The results of the two conflicts are being carefully studied in all world capitals.
The first time I saw the use of missiles was when I went to cover the war in Afghanistan. Every night, correspondents would sit on hotel roofs and see missiles being fired from bases in Kabul to hit targets in Kandhar a few hundred kilometers away. In that war, Afghan fighters used hand held missiles to target helicopters and planes deployed by Russian forces. To guard the airport, as the missiles used were heat seeking, every landing, flares were thrown into the sky so that planes could land safely.
The drones in the current two wars have been used to hit fixed targets. Missiles, on other hand, have worked well against expensive tanks, which also cost millions. Experts are visualizing future wars being fought with low cost drones instead of expensive planes or heavy tanks. In the Russo-Ukrainian war, they have been used even to hit naval ships. In the changed scenario, India has an advantage as they are working to make the same in the country.
Unlike in the case of fighter planes, where we have to import them, and engines and tanks, which are made with help of technology from Russia, drones and missiles are being made locally. As such, future wars guided by satellites will be fought in the skies without seeing the enemy who could be sitting in his home and enjoying a meal. India used homemade Brahamo missiles extensively in the four-days war. Drones are also being made in defence units and some in the private sector. Drones also help in keeping a watch as they can keep a watch on the enemy while flying high in the sky.
Fast developments are taking place in the development of drones; they are being designed to carry heavier loads and also evade the defence system. Most of them fly at the treetop level and are not easy to detect.
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