India's network centric warfare

[Kunal Biswas]

Part-6


If Saya Sir watching, Please do see this..

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Part-7

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Part-8

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Part-9

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Part-10

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Part-11

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Part-12


Some Important Points..

Enjoy..

 

[Kunal Biswas]

What is network centric warfare ?

Explained Below:

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Qestion: Who are the Warrior ?
Answer: Indian Army Corps of Signals


Signals are essentially the NERVES of the Army. The nerves in our body connect the brain to the sensory organs and also to the limbs. It is through the nerves that the brain receives inputs from the various sensory organs. The processing of these inputs results in a set of commands being issued to the various limbs which execute them to provide the response that our body makes to the external stimulus. In the same manner, the Generals, being the brains of the Army, receive inputs from the troops in contact and from other sources through the Signals. These inputs are processed at the Headquarters and converted into action plans. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the Signals to convey these operational plans to the troops who execute them. Therefore, it is obvious that the Signals are intimately intertwined in all aspects of the functioning of the Army both in war and in peace. Signals are present at all levels and at all places, just as we have nerves in all parts of our body.

The vision of Signals Corps is to attain and maintain informatic ascendancy by developing infostructure to cater for Network Centric Warfare in a digitized battlefield of tomorrow. The aim and objective of Signals Corps is to make the Indian Army Network Enabled Force by 2012 and Network Centric Force by 2017. This will entail consolidation of all networks so as to provide the Indian Army with an optimal, secure, reliable and robust infostructure that can meet both operational and peacetime requirements and one that is capable of withstanding technical and physical degradation. The Corps remains the lead agency and nodal centre for information and cyber security both within the Defence Services and at the National level.


The offrs at all levels are aware of the strategic, operational and tactical dimensions to enable a pragmatic application of technology in support of combat ops. Training centres are developing directives and processes that can prepare all ranks to acquire a high level of multiple skills needed in the diverse terrain, technological and op environment of our army in gen and Signals in particular. The training centres are designed to facilitate the pursuit of a continuous trg philosophy at unit level through on-the-job trg and by harnessing e-learning, thereby reducing the gap between the "haves" and the "have-nots".

The momentous strides made by the Corps in the last few decades have truly been stupendous and without parallel. It has transited to a network enabled force, propelled by the intellect, sustained hard work and the inherent urge to excel which have been so vividly displayed by all officers and men. The domain of enhancing communication in the Tactical Battle Area and the facilitation of synergy of C4I2 elements are going to be the major thrust areas for the future. The Corps is forward looking, with finely honed procedures and exacting standards for execution of tasks. The Corps has always had an abiding and strong ethical foundation. With character comes reputation, and the esteem that the Corps enjoys today stems from the value system and ethos which need to be continually preserved and nurtured. The Corps has also evolved drills and procedures that ensure the provision of reliable and responsive communications to the Army under harsh terrain and tough battle field conditions and is living up to the motto of the Corps - "TEEVRA CHAUKAS" or "Swift and Secure".

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Mobilicom's INCS System


Mobilicom introduces INCS, the instant network centric warfare system for ground forces linking advanced weapons platforms, sensor systems, military vehicles and command and control systems to each other through advanced information sharing. Utilizing superior 4G ad-hoc LTE technology, INCS allows broadband communications between mobile ground troops and all supporting forces on the battlefield with a robust network that needs no prior infrastructure. Everyone stays connected on the move and benefits from bi-directional high quality video, data and voice communications from the entire team.Combining a rugged tactical computer with an advanced instant mobile wireless communications network, the INCS immediately establishes a secure and jammer-resistant broadband network on the ground. The network is robust due to ad-hoc/mesh capabilities (self-configuring/self-healing connections) with superior operation in non-line-of-sight (N-LOS) situations and at high speed. This contributes to improved information sharing at critical times, situational awareness and operational effectiveness. The system also allows for a cross platform solution enabling the connection of land, air and navy mobile units and platforms for joint operation missions.

 

[sayareakd]

Part-6


If Saya Sir watching, Please do see this..

all i can say is that some things mention in that are going to be changed. cant tell you more about it, but people are working towards improving things.

 

[Kunal Biswas]

IAF's Multi-Phase IACCCS Being Enhanced

Phase-1 of the Indian Air Force's (IAF) layered, hardened and in-depth air defence command, control and communications network, called integrated air command, control and communications system (IACCCS), is all set to achieve full operational capability by June 2012 once the IAF-owned, -operated and -managed fully secure and reliable network and gigabyte digital information grid—known as AFNet, is fully operationalised. The IACCCS—being established under a two-phase programme costing Rs16,000 crore has been designed as a robust, survivable network-centric C4I3 infrastructure that will receive direct real-time feeds from existing space-based overhead reconnaissance satellites, ground-based and aerostat-mounted ballistic missile early warning radars and high-altitude-long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles, and manned airborne early warning & control (AEW & C) platforms. The IACCCS will also coordinate the early warning and response aspects of a layered, ground-based, two-tier ballistic missile defence (BMD) network that is now at an advanced stage of development. The fibre-optic network-based AFNet, on the other hand, replaces the IAF's troposcatter-based communications network. Developed at a cost of Rs10.77 billion in collaboration with US-based Cisco Systems Inc, HCL Infosystems Ltd and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), the AFNet incorporates the latest traffic transportation technology in form of internet protocol (IP) packets over the network using multi-protocol label switching (MPLS). A large voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) layer with stringent quality of service enforcement will facilitate robust, high quality voice, video and conferencing solutions. With these two critical elements now in place, the way ahead is now clear for plugging into the IACCCS a large number of new-generation ground-based radars that are now in the process of being delivered, be it for airspace surveillance in search of airborne targets (like manned aircraft, ballistic and cruise missiles, attack helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles), or coastal surveillance or ground surveillance.

For ensuring all-weather low- and medium-level airspace surveillance, the IAF by 2016 will be receiving 67 new low-level air transportable radars (LLTR), including 19 180km-range, three-dimensional THALES-built Ground Smarter GS-100 radars (ordered in November 2009), each of which will be accompanied by operational and communication shelters, an energy sub-system, a mobility sub-system and personnel living quarters. While the first six GS-100s have been supplied off-the-shelf by THALES, the remaining is being licence-assembled by BEL. Under underway now are deliveries of 24 active phased-array EL/M-2084 medium-power radars (MPR). Homegrown products to be delivered include the DRDO-developed and Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL)-built the S-band Aslesha three-dimensional micro-radar, the Army-specific Bharani manportable radar, and thirty (20 more to be ordered) 180km-range Rohini S-band central acquisition radars. The Aslesha, which weighs 250kg, uses low-probability-of-intercept frequencies to look out for terrain-hugging tactical UAVs over mountainous terrain out to 50km. The IAF has to date ordered 21 of them, and first deliveries took place in January 2008. On the other hand, the Bharani is a two-dimensional L-band gapfiller system now in series-production for the Army. It has a range of 40km and can track up to 100 airborne targets. To date, 16 Bharanis—meant to be used in conjunction with VSHORADS/MANPADS—have been ordered, with deliveries beginning this March. Also under delivery are 29 THALES Nederland-developed motorised Reporter tactical control radars for the Army's upgraded ZU-23 air-defence guns.

 

[Kunal Biswas]

The IAF is now gearing up to induct new-generation S-band long-range surveillance radars (LRSR), an additional nine ELTA Systems-built L-band EL/M-2083 'Airstar' aerostat-mounted high-power radars (HPR) to add to the two already in service, and 18 L-band EL/M-2082 ADAR 3-D active phased-array airspace surveillance radars. For the LRSR requirement, a competition is presently underway between the ELTA Systems-built EL/M-2288 AD-STAR, THALES-built Ground Master 400, and SELEX Sistemi Integrati's RAT-31SL.

These new radars will be deployed with the IAF's existing 32 new mobile control and reporting centres (MCRC), 12 air defence control centres (ADCC), 24 air defence direction centres (ADDC) and some 40 terminal weapons control centres (TWCC) along India's western and north-eastern borders, and will progressively replace the existing ST-68U gapfiller radars and related 19ZH6 command-and-control consoles, P-18/NRS-12 and P-19 gapfiller radars, THALES-built THD-1955 (GRS-400) 3-D long-range airspace surveillance radars, and the P-30/NRS-20, P-37 and P-40 gapfiller/target engagement radars, and THALES-built TRS-2215D and BEL-built PSM-33 Mk2 airspace surveillance radars, all of which were acquired in the 1970s and early 1980s. The Indian Army too is likely to procure up to six aerostat-mounted EL/M-2083s for detecting and tracking both ballistic missiles and terrain-hugging cruise missiles launched from Pakistan, while the Indian Navy is reportedly asking for two EL/M-2083s. The 1,700kg EL/M-2083 'Airstar' is mounted inside 240 feet-long aerostat that is perched at altitudes of up to 4,000 feet, use electronically-steered multi-beam techniques to detect terrain hugging airborne targets—combat aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles and UAVs—at ranges of up to 300km, while the trajectories of ballistic missiles can be accurately plotted up to 500km away.

[IMG]http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RgyDi3jqCcM/TxsonXVc0xI/AAAAAAAAAtg/HTr4nrn73yQ/s1600/Master-A.jpg

The most challenging and contentious part of the IACCCS' implementation roadmap, however, remains the two-tier BMD component. While the ground-based, airborne and space-based tools required for giving early warning of inbound hostile ballistic/cruise missiles are already being acquired from both indigenous sources and abroad (primarily Israel), acquisition of the active 'hard-kill' component—anti-ballistic missiles and their fire-control systems—looks set to be a long drawn-out affair due to the differing perceptions of BMD among the three armed services. The initial components of such a two-tier BMD network, comprising both endo-atmospheric and exo-atmospheric missile interceptors, are not likely to be commissioned until 2015. For fire-control purposes the BMD system sues ELTA Systems-built EL/M-2080 'Green Pine' ground-based active phased-array L-band long-range tracking radar (LRTR), an initial two of which were supplied in late 2001 under the US$50 million 'Project Sword Fish' to the DRDO by the ELTA Systems Group subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries. Three million lines of software code were written in India for the Battle Management/Command, Control, Communications & Intelligence (BM/C³I) centre, the hub of software and hardware systems. Transmission links to the interceptor missile are based on jam-proof CDMA technology and multiple data transmission links have been set up so that if one is jammed the others could function. Israeli inputs were sought and received for designing and fabricating the BM/C³I centre, which not only acts as the DRDO's primary BMD engagement simulator, but is also being used for evolving BM/C³I concepts, for defining BMD goals and developing BMD doctrine, for evaluating candidate systems architectures, for serving as the principal prototyping-cum-validation tool for the BMD's BM/C³I algorithms, and for defining the human role in the BMD battle. The BMD's endo-atmospheric element makes use of the THALESRaytheon-supplied S-band Master-A engagement radar.

In order to enhance its airspace management-cum-surveillance capabilities in both peacetime and wartime, the IAF has initiated a multi-phase $1.3 billion programme under which a state-of-the-art joint civil/military sub-continental airspace control system is being developed using the following fundamentals: unity of effort, common procedures, and simplicity. Also being upgraded are the IAF's terminal area air traffic services and airfield management expertise, and en route airspace/air corridor management. The net result of all this will be the creation of a vastly expanded air defence identification zone (ADIZ) and provision of a real-time recognised air picture (RAP). The upgraded ADIZ will extend the IAF's airspace management and surveillance coverage (using ground-based sensors) up to 500 nautical miles away from India's territorial boundaries. When fully implemented, new-generation ATCR-33S and SIR-S primary/secondary surveillance radars and their related joint air traffic control and reporting centres (JATCRC) will be operational at IAF air bases in Adampur, Agra, Ambala, Bagdogra, Bareilly, Bhatinda, Bhuj, Bidar, Chabua, Chandigarh, Gorakhpur, Gwalior, Halwara, Hashimara, Hindon, Jaisalmer, Jamnagar, Jodhpur, Jorhat, Kalaikunda, Nal, Naliya, Pathankot, Pune, Sirsa, Suratgarh, Tezpur, Uttarlai, Yelahanka and Zopuitlang in Lunglei district in southern Mizoram.—Prasun K. Sengupta

 

[Kunal Biswas]

India develops secure cyberspace intrusion detection systems

Defence preparedness of any nation is widely assessed often in terms of visible assets with little authentic knowledge available in the public domain. While armed forces world over preferred not to speak or let others speak about the Information Technology (IT) strengths, one often read reports of cyber thefts, attacks and loopholes in so-called secure firewalls. While India has been prone to cyber vandalisms in the past, silent IT missions have been running concurrently to aid India's defence preparedness.

Sources who agreed to part with information on this front to Express said that during conflicts, the side that has superior access to accurate and timely information has a clear edge over its adversary. "Information gathering, processing, and delivering systems and their effective exploitation in the battlefield are vital for prevailing in the end. Collectively these computerised and networked defence systems make the battlefield digital in nature and entail the need to protect the cyberspace associated with them," sources with Bangalore-based Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR), said.

Given the density and complexity of computerisation in these systems, the corresponding cyberspace acquires a physical reality of its own. Briefly, this cyberspace of the defence systems is the abode of the critical information gathered from the sensors and processed and forwarded to the weapons.
"The twin objectives of the security of this space are to keep its integrity intact and to keep the information housed therein confidential, untampered, and available. Preventive solutions exist for ensuring authentication and access control on the one hand and for encrypting storage and communications of the information concerned on the other. However, these solutions cannot assure complete security especially where human operators are involved and where the defence systems are open in nature requiring interactions with unknown and unpredictable frontiers such as a battlefield," sources said.

One of the basic methods to check for intrusions is to keep a watch on the integrity values of the committed and free regions of the cyberspace. The committed regions house information and software in the form of files. "Based on a careful sampling of these files, corresponding hashes or checksums may be calculated in clean state and kept as references. Subsequently on a periodic basis, the instantaneous values of the hashes of the select subset of the files may be computed and checked against the references. The unexpected changes, if any, can be an indication of an intrusion," sources said.

In order to look at aggregate activities of a number of computing hosts and network devices, the technique is to analyse the traffic emanating from or going towards them over gateway-like points. This technique is the basis of many network intrusion detection systems. "There are two generic methods implemented in these systems; one is based on 'signatures' of attacks to gain entry into the cyberspaces of target systems, and the other is to identify anomalies in traffic patterns based on statistics or rules," sources said.

Based on needs, CAIR has developed an IP traffic-based Intrusion Sensing System for Enterprise Networks that can analyze traffic data for possible attacks originating from outside an organization.

More Info:
Tarmak007 -- A bold blog on Indian defence: India develops secure cyberspace intrusion detection systems

 

[JAISWAL]

Tarmak007 -- A bold blog on Indian defence: SecOS: Net-worthy solutions for swift & sure military communication
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SecOS: Net-worthy solutions for swift & sure military communication
By- Anantha Krishnan M, Express News Service
Bangalore: Every relationship survives on trust.
In the virtual world, it's trust that builds security.
And in military, it is security and trust that probably acts as a trump-card to triumph. World over, the most common techniques for achieving security in the physical world are signature-based and gate-keeper mechanisms. Equivalently, in the space of computer systems, anti-virus software is an example of signature-based mechanisms for achieving security. It possesses signatures of known viruses, and the signature database needs to be continually updated to incorporate the signature of new viruses. Most anti-virus systems also have heuristic-based mechanisms to detect potentially malicious behavior of software or an external agent. Firewalls are examples of gate-keeper mechanisms.
The crucial aspect in security is the notion of trust. "In the human space, the trust is achieved by various mechanisms. First roots of trust can be defined (Eg: A close friend, a family member etc.) Another strategy to achieve trust could be deterrence. The third strategy is that of containment. In this strategy, the untrustworthy entity is assumed to exist and a context is created that prevents the entity from performing untrusted actions," sources at the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR), told Express while explaining the complex concepts of Secure Operating Environment, in layman's terms.
The notion of trust is important, as merely having an anti-virus or firewall is not adequate. It is equally important to be able to trust them for their claimed functionality. Realizing this, the CAIR launched an effort to create an secure operating environment called Secure Operating System (SecOS), based on the third approach. "Our efforts in creating SecOS are based on strong containment strategies. The central theme of the effort is to create strong strategies with respect to the operating system that would allow only the operations or actions that are permitted as per policy. The SecOS is a collection of containment enablers that can be combined for a particular role," sources said, refusing to give out numbers, OS details and predicted deployment areas.
SecOS is a mature product with CAIR carrying unique security capabilities. There has been a strong interest in SecOS from Defense and Government bodies for widespread deployment.
For the benefit of Express readers, a senior Army official puts the role of SecOS in simple terms. "Most senior military and government officials use laptops and connect them to their organizational networks. These laptop potentially contain classified information that is intentionally stored on the hard disk, or unintentionally stored as part of the cached files. When these laptops are connected to the organizational network from inside the organization, they are protected by the information security infrastructure of the organization," the official said.
However, the role of SecOs comes when the official travels and connect it to organizational network over the Internet, which substantially
increases the attack exposure "In this context, SecOS can provide an environment that isolates the hard disk completely, and yet provides full capability of an operating system, inclusive of Internet access. Today, SecOS is a mature product with CAIR that has been evaluated and found suitable for defense usage" the official said.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

Cisco India's Participation at CLAWS organized 'Network Centricity Warfare in the Indian Context' - a set on Flickr

Cisco India's Participation at CLAWS organized 'Network Centricity Warfare in the Indian Context'


Network Centric Warfare (NCW), undoubtedly, is going to be a game-changer in future warfare. It is a nascent field and the opportunities are enormous. Cisco India sponsored this highly successful and interactive seminar on 21st April, at Manekshaw Center, New Delhi

 

[LETHALFORCE]

The Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS)

Indian Army Develops Net Centric Warfare Capability


The usage of information technology as a force multiplier in warfare stems from the belief that information advantage leads to information superiority eventually enhancing combat effectiveness. This is executed by close "networking" between sensors, decision-makers, and shooting platforms, therefore creating shared awareness, speed of command, high-tempo manoeuvre, close coordination and synchronisation during operations leading to greater lethality, and increased survivability of own forces. The primary objective of applying modern information technology is to enhance battle-space awareness between operational and command elements.

Given the fact that India has emerged as an IT hub and research centre for the developed world, all the three services but particularly the Indian Army has launched an ambitious programme for transforming the Indian Army (IA) into the NCW paradigm. The Indian Army has over a period evolved doctrine for integrating various components of C4I2 (command, control, communication, computers, information and intelligence) together with a Information Warfare (IW) doctrine, given the growing nature of threat in the neighbourhood. However since these two components on their own do not create NCW transformational thinking, particularly in the absence of integrated doctrines and inter-service synergy, it is now in the process of developing a comprehensive net centric warfare doctrine, that aims to close the loop between sensors that pick up information, decision-makers and shooting platform that aim to reduce what is generally called 'sensor to shooter' time in other words much speedier engagements and enhancement of tempo of operations.

The fulcrum of net-centricity being developed by the Indian Army is actually what can be called the Tac C3I System (Tactical Command, Control, Communications and Information System). Under the overall rubric of Tac C3I, sub-systems like the CIDSS (Command Information Decision Support System), ACCCS (Artillery Command, Control & Communication System), BSS (Battlefield Surveillance System), ADC&RS (Air Defence Control & Reporting System), BMS (Battlefield Management System) are in various stages of development and implementation.

Whereas the development of the TacC3I is well under way and sub- systems are being tested and fielded under test bed conditions in various formations of the Army, frequent hiccups do occur owing to perception differences, lack of conceptual and technological understanding. As former Director General Systems, Lt Gen PC Katoch (Retd) highlights in a recent article in the Army Day Issue of Force "we need to learn from the Chinese model, where systematic institutionalised technological training is mandatory before General Officers get posted to certain specific appointments".

The Indian Army is following what can be termed as the bottom up approach for developing NCW capability, rather than an evolutionary model adopted by both the Americans and more recently the Chinese. There are two important reasons for this. In the absence of integrated and synergistic oversight that could only happen if there is a Chief of Defence Staff or Permanent Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee there is little tri-service integration with each service evolving their own path with a working perspective of their eventual integration. Lack of top down evolutionary approach has serious ramifications, Lt Gen Katoch argues in the above quoted article giving example of DCN (Defence Communications Network); "while this is being developed, virtually nothing is happening on how to achieve the Services hand-shake that would ride the DCN".

A vital requirement in a networked system is not only interoperability of the system under development but also facilitation of information sharing among systems that were not originally designed to talk to each other. For inter-Services interoperability, there is requirement of a comprehensive and well documented tri-service model which forms the basis for reference at the conceptual and development stage. Finalisation and adoption of standards and protocols, mutually compatible database structures, development/deployment of interfaces between systems using disparate platforms and commonality of hardware are challenges which need to be overcome. Harmonising standards and protocols for the three Services is a gigantic task.

Despite the above systemic problems, the Army is closely looking at various software components of the stem which are vital to its functional efficacy which include; policy on data handling and data storage, policy and responsibly for cyber security together with plans to set up Army Information Assurance Agency under the Director General Systems. Areas where the Army has yet to draft credible policy perspectives include; policy on simulation and war-gaming, enunciation of bandwidth requirements in sync with increasing net-centricity. Understandably these shortcomings and at times turf battles have resulted in inordinate delay in developing the Tactical Communications System (TCS).

Another important component of the Indian Army's transformational perspective is developing capacities for "cyber warfare". It is a potent instrument of war with means to weaken enemy capabilities even before battle is joined. Security of information and assets is vital to a military where networked infrastructure involves country-wide WANs and numerous smaller networks in a network of networks concept. The endeavour to prevent an attack or contain it and effect swift recovery is important aspects of cyber warfare. Malware penetrating the systems or embedded at manufacturing stage can be disastrous in military networks. Hence there is a requirement of foolproof mechanisms to check our system for malware, particularly so as all computer parts and some software are imported including mostly from a country notorious for its "botnets". The US military concerned by repeated Chinese hacking and venomous attacks is raising a Cyber Command, it may be prudent for India to create a similar organisation and make cyber supremacy an essential component of our war doctrine.

(Brigadier Arun Sahgal (Retd), PhD, is Consultant, Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi)

Courtsey: The Indian Express, 15 January 2010

(Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the views either of the Editorial Committee or the Centre for Land Warfare Studies).

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Tarmak007 -- A bold blog on Indian defence: Gen-next Battlefield Management Systems give combat edge to armed forces
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Battlefield Management Systems (BMS) act as force-enablers. It gives combat-advantage to our Armed Forces, enabling a state-of-the-art networked theatre in a spit-fire battlefield environment. The recognition of information dominance in future wars will be based on the global success of information dominated military command and control, in influencing the outcome of the battle. "We are at the threshold of a new era; information must no longer be an enabler but a core war fighting capability," a senior US naval chief had said.

Since the 1980s, Indian defence scientists in general, and specialists at the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR) in particular, have been playing the back-room boys' role in enabling the transformation of our armed forces. "Third generation war focuses on using speed and surprise to bypass the enemy's lines and collapse their forces. Essentially, this was the end of linear warfare on a tactical level, with units seeking not simply to meet each other face to face but to out-maneuver each other to gain the greatest battlefield advantage. The impact of C2 capabilities kept increasing with each generation of warfare and became an essential ingredient in the third generation and beyond scenarios," sources said.

The C2 capabilities needed to address the complexities of third generation warfare and spearheaded the digitization of the battlefield. Hence, the sensors interfaces, weapons interfaces, and the communication infrastructure migrated to digital technology. These developments have been driven by the adoption of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for supporting the Command and Control chain, or C2 as the military commanders prefer to call it. The units enabling the above are collectively called Battle Management Systems (BMS) or C4I2SR systems. (C4I2SR system means: command, control, communication, computers, information, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.)

The C2 process has been characterized as a series of sequential and interactive steps by a US Air Force strategist Col John Boyd, who termed it the Observe-Orient-Decide-Act (OODA) loop. The central tenet of modern BMS is the OODA loop (see image). While this was conceptualized in the context of military operations, its relevance to modern management techniques has been well established. "An entity that can process this cycle quickly, observing and reacting to unfolding events more rapidly than an opponent, can thereby get inside the opponent's decision cycle and gain advantage," sources said.
In the last two decades, the CAIR has been playing a pivotal role in the design and development of various C2 systems for the Indian Armed Forces. These systems provide better situational awareness, enable and accelerate the planning and decision-making process, assist in establishing fire supremacy in the battle area, and enable better co-ordination among the military commanders.

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http://defenceforumindia.com/defenc...give-combat-edge-armed-forces.html#post428752

 

[Kunal Biswas]

CABS touches 21 | Spirited scientists await prying plane | Sub-systems for surveillance

The Centre for Air-Borne Systems (CABS) touched 21 silently with a story matching that of the proverbial Phoenix. With a morale virtually reduced to ground-zero following the tragic crash of their pet prototype plane Airborne Surveillance Platform (ASP) in 1999, today the CABS has made most of its detractors run for cover. Thanks to the decision-makers at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) HQ in Delhi, the CABS got a fresh lease of life in 2004, when they bagged the prestigious Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) system project.

With the Indian defence R&D sector often riddled with morale-stripping tales of failed and delayed missions, the CABS workforce smartly chose to lie low, fixing their focus on business hours. In 2007 when its customer (air force) 'finally' made up their minds (operational requirements) as to how intelligent their prying plane should be, the scientists began tweaking technology that would eventually put India into an elite club.

As this piece goes to print, Team CABS is at a striking distance from embedding smart systems onboard the Embraer-built EMB-145I AEW&C platform. The first plane will make a touchdown in Bangalore in June. When fully loaded, it would detect, identify, and classify threats present in the surveillance area and act as a command and control centre to support air defence operations.

Giving heads-up on the project to Express, CABS Director S Christopher said that all the sub-systems for surveillance are getting ready. "The primary radar, electronic support measure, communication support measure, line-of-sight and SATCOM data links have reached the final stages of development. They are now in the test and integration phase," Christopher said. He said the lab is gearing up for a formal Raising Day event soon.

Through this programme, the CABS has gifted India critical gen-next technologies. "The core competence is generated in the field of Mark XII SSR systems, tactical software for network-centric operations and in design-development of complex avionics systems. A few of the building block, technologies and patents indigenously-realised can be used for several spin-offs and exports,"says G Elangovan, DRDO Chief Controller (R&D), Avionics.

Facilities established for the AEW&C project like the Planar Near Field Measurement (PNFM), System Test and Integration Rig (STIR), EMI/EMC Test Laboratory, Lightning Test Facility (LTF), Highly Accelerated Life Test (HALT), Highly Accelerated Stress Screening (HASS) chamber and the Flight Test Centre could well aid CABS' future prime prying projects

Tarmak007 -- A bold blog on Indian defence: CABS touches 21 | Spirited scientists await prying plane | Sub-systems for surveillance getting ready

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Smart processing of images & videos that makes the mission menacing

Bangalore: Photographs and videos are two vital intelligence inputs that make the mission meaningful and menacing. With the advent of digital imagery, the option to process, enhance and disseminate the imagery intelligence opened up. Today, the trend is fast-pacing towards ubiquitous imaging, grabbing of videos rather than still images, and of creating large image collections.The call of the hour hence is for specific technologies to process, store and exploit large number of images and videos. A comprehensive image and video processing solution that brings together the various processing capabilities that exist in the civilian space. Hence, the technology gets templated into three parts: a) ability to process the raw images and videos and convert them into higher quality or of lesser size; b) ability to create large collections which can be maintained and queried over military networks. [If repositories are not maintained and searchable, they are not useful in times of need.]; c) (iii) ability to automatically characterize images and videos, so as to allow object and action recognition of military interest for the volumes of images and videos likely to be acquired in the future.Creation of such facilities requires a lot of technology development, integration and product design. There is an ongoing effort at the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR) towards implementing, improvising and integrating the latest image and video processing methods to create a unified image and video application suite in the defence context.In the area of computer vision, the CAIR has developed a comprehensive library for image and video processing, including techniques for image enhancement, manipulation, registration, geo-coding, multi-sensor image fusion, mosaicing and 3D reconstruction from multiple views. "The scientists have made inroads in areas like depth from stereo images, motion detection, tracking, progressive image and video transmission formats, super resolution-magnification, segmentation and steganography. In content characterization area, object detection and activity analysis, there is ongoing work using color, texture, key points, visual words, video shot segmentation, video synopsis and activity characterization," sources said.
Prototype applications have been developed for Progressive Image Transmission, Content Based Image Retrieval, Image Fusion (including change detection) and Image-Map Display. In the area of visualization, the CAIR has developed the interactive 3D Terrain Flythrough software.Currently, the computer vision team at the CAIR is engaged in a project to develop a number of applications for image and video processing in the net-centric operations (NCO) context. "These applications are designed to address the requirements of smart push and smart pull of images and videos to and from shared repositories across a network. The focus is on enabling preprocessing imagery, meta-data binding to imagery, tag-content-based imagery retrieval and exploitation of retrieved images and videos," sources said.


AIMS OF NET-CENTRIC OPS

* Noise reductions and enhancement techniques.
* Magnification and super-resolution of images-video frames.
* Mosaicing of images-video frames.
* Fusion of images from different sensors to create composites.
* Processing videos from moving platforms to create stabilized videos with wide field of view and tracking of moving objects.
* Geo-registration and geo-calibration of images and videos to maps.
* 3D calibration and computation of 3D measurements from multiple images of target objects (buildings, bridges and other large objects)
* Automatic video summary generation based on activity periods and key frames to create short digests from long surveillance clips.
* Content-based automatic indexing and retrieval of images-videos.
* Progressive transmission formats for images and videos to cater for truncated transmission over tactical networks due to jamming.

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