Defence Ministry’s roadmap for 2020s includes laser and electromagnetic weapons.
India is looking to induct futuristic weapon systems such as submarine-launched drones, highly manoeuvrable combat UAVs, an additional aircraft carrier and laser weapons in the next decade, a defence ministry roadmap for acquiring new technology reveals.
The Technology Perspective and Capability Roadmap (TPCR- 2018) is meant to give the defence industry a heads-up for developing technology sharing partnerships and production arrangements for the future.
The roadmap also shows how the Indian military will be structured in the future, with a list of 221 products that it would acquire in the 2020s. These range from the standard bullets and shells for the Army to high-energy weapons for the three forces and next generation communication equipment.
The list also perhaps lays to rest a confrontation between the Navy and defence ministry over plans to add another aircraft carrier to the fleet. At present, India operates one carrier (INS Vikramaditya) while another (INS Vikrant) is under construction at Kochi. The Navy has been keen on a third but its proposal was met by objections from the ministry due to the financial resources required.
However, the new roadmap says that that the Navy is planning to acquire another aircraft carrier with an operational life of 40 years. Details on the technical requirements for the carrier are being finalised, according to the document. Besides, a range of other warships, including new generation destroyers, Offshore Patrol Vessels, new Corvettes and missile boats will be acquired by the Navy.
The forces will also acquire a new range of drones that will take them into the next decade and beyond of unmanned warfare. Besides surveillance drones for patrolling, artillery tracking and urban security, the forces require new submarine launched UAVs as well as combat drones to take on enemy targets.
Also needed are stealth UAVs that have a range of over 1,500 km, capable of achieving an altitude of over 50,000 feet. The roles envisaged for this class is communication interception, weapons jamming and detection of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.
Combat UAVs that the Army and Navy plan to acquire need an endurance of over 24 hours, with capability of engaging static and moving ground targets from a minimum stand-off distance of 20 km.
Other future weapon systems include high energy laser systems and electromagnetic weapon system that can be mounted on heavy vehicles to take down radars, communication systems, electronic warfare systems with an effective range of 6-8 km. In the future, these systems will be needed for anti-satellite roles as well, according to the roadmap.
The Army, in particular, wants robotic systems to take down improvised explosive devices (IED) that it encounters in counter-insurgency operations. These need to be able to operate in urban areas to safely defuse explosives from a safe distance.
The roadmap advises the industry to keep ‘Make in India’ in mind while pursuing these technologies. “Pursuing any development or collaboration, the Indian industry should accord due importance to the Indian government’s thrust towards ‘Make in India’. The Ministry of Defence is committed to the Government’s drive towards development of indigenous production capability in the private and public sectors,” it says.