Basic HTML Version

|  | Table of Contents |  | View Full Version

Page 14 - The Indian EYE 032026
P. 14

    OPINION                                                                MARCH 20, 2026      |  The Indian Eye 14

            ners active in the area of AD systems   India’s first indigenously made Radar   DRDO, along with the Chief of In-  System (IACCS), along with Akash-
            include the European Airbus (plat-  Imaging Satellite (RISAT-1) was pre-  tegrated Defense Staff, to Chairman,  teer and Indian Maritime Situational
            form support for DRDO’s ‘Netra MK   ceded by RISAT-2, which featured an   Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC),  Awareness System (IMSAS), lays the
            II AWACS’), Almaz-Antey through   Israeli-origin X-band Synthetic Aper-  HQ Integrated Defense Staff (IDS).  foundation, blueprints for further
            S-400 MRO facilities, air defense   ture Radar (SAR). The ISRO–Israel   The role of DRDO in steering the   upgradations are being planned to
            missile  systems, radars  and  automat-  Space  Agency  (ISA)  partnership  un-  Mission’s technological roadmap was   achieve time-bound targets.
            ed control systems, Kalyani Strategic   der the elevated partnership enables   reinforced in the Raksha Mantri’s   With  Israel’s  already  well-estab-
            Systems  JV  with  Israel  Aerospace   the combination of complementary   address on DRDO Day. As has been   lished presence in these sectors, the
            Industries  (IAI)  for  indigenous pro-  capabilities in payloads and heavy-  elucidated earlier, building the Mis-  renewed cooperation significantly en-
            duction of Medium Range Surface-  lift launch for both countries. These   sion Sudarshan Chakra goes beyond   ergizes indigenous industrial efforts.
            to-Air Missile (MR-SAM), Defense   acquisitions and co-developments   airborne fighter interceptors, ground-  Sudarshan Chakra was conceived as a
            Research and Development Orga-    indicate not just crucial and timely as-  based SAMs, radars and Counter Un-  national mission blending indigenous
            nization (DRDO) and Safran deal   sistance from Israeli technology in de-  manned Aerial System (CUAS) grids.  innovation with selective partnerships,
            for  co-development  of  120–140  Kn   veloping India’s indigenous R&D and   It involves enhancement of the entire   such as “Make in India projects, im-
            thrust engine for Advanced Medium   industrial ecosystems, but also lay the   constellation of aerial vectors—Long   ports and IDDM programmes”. Isra-
            Combat Aircraft (AMCA), MBDA      groundwork for further complemen-  range air-launched missiles, UAVs,  el’s innovative niche technologies and
            for missiles and related technology   tarity of capabilities.       Airborne Warning and Control Sys-  battle-proven systems complement
            development, Swedish company Saab                                   tem (AWACS), Satellites, Anti-Sat-  India’s industrial manufacturing ca-
            for Giraffe  radars via  L&T,  Thales–    The Way Ahead             ellite (ASAT) capabilities, to name a   pacity and entrepreneurial and talent
            Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL)      Progress on Mission Sudar-    few—along with cyber offensive sys-  competencies. The bilateral defense
            collaboration for radars, including   shan Chakra was made public on 29   tems, hardening of defenses and AI   cooperation of almost three decades
            Airborne Interceptor radars for fight-  November 2025, with project con-  integration. While the indigenous In-  has delivered credible outcomes in
            ers, etc.                         tours drawn up under the Chairman,  tegrated Air Command and Control   each conflict/standoff since Kargil.
             What Does Israel Contribute?                                                                                   Conclusion
                In  this  context,  if  one  were  to                                                                 It was Operation Sindoor that led
            study areas specific to Mission Sudar-                                                                to India’s leadership announcing Mis-
            shan Chakra, Israel and its companies                                                                 sion Sudarshan Chakra. The ongoing
            have invested in India through direct                                                                 global  conflicts  accentuate  the  Mis-
            acquisitions  and  partnerships  for  a                                                               sion imperatives, each day bringing
            host of defensive and offensive capa-                                                                 newer challenges. Based on India’s re-
            bilities. Amongst the earliest systems                                                                quirements  and  Israel’s  battle-tested
            supplied were the Heron and Search-                                                                   capabilities, this renewed partnership
            er Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)                                                                    has the potential to be a strategic cat-
            and Litening electro-optical targeting                                                                alyst for India’s decade-long Mission
            pods, enabling laser-guided bombs for                                                                 by substantially, if not completely,
            the Mirage2000 aircraft. Both deliver-                                                                expanding the relevant technology/
            ies hastened India’s advantage in the                                                                 systems base and production at scale.
            Kargil War. Since then, the Litening                                                                  Israel is also among the few militaries
            pod has been made “substantially in                                                                   that executed a near-perfect multi-do-
            India” with Defsys, a Rafael partner.                                                                 main offensive in 2025, Operation
                To achieve a significant enhance-                                                                 Rising Lion, combining cognitive,
            ment of the Indian Air Force’s (IAF’s)                                                                electronic warfare and special oper-
            long-range offensive capability, In-                                                                  ations with airpower. Though not ar-
            dia had inducted IAI-manufactured                                                                     ticulated, it can be suggested that this
            Rampage air-to-surface missiles in                                                                    partnership also brings in this opera-
            2024 on its Su-30 MKI platforms,                                                                      tional wisdom.
            along with MiG-29 and Jaguar fight-                                                                       In summary, Israel brings bat-
            ers. Following their validation in Op-                                                                tle-tested expertise to make the Su-
            eration Sindoor, it was reported that                                                                 darshan Chakra more effective—a
            additional orders were underway,                                                                      system that not only defends but also
            alongside consideration of joint do-                                                                  enables precise retaliation and ad-
            mestic  production  under  the  ‘Make                                                                 vances India’s strategic autonomy.
            in India’ initiative. News reports from
            January  2026  indicate  further  acqui-                                                              The author is a Research Fellow at Mano-
            sition of SPICE-1000 precision-guid-                                                                  har Parrikar Institute for Defense Studies
            ance kits, additional Rampage mis-                                                                    and Analyses (MP-IDSA), New Delhi.
            siles,  AIR LORA ALBM,  and  the
            Ice Breaker  stand-off air-to-surface                                                                  Views expressed are of the author and
                                                                                                                    do not necessarily reflect the views of
            missile, among other systems, vide                                                                      the Manohar Parrikar IDSA or of the
            Defense Acquisition Council (DAC)                                                                             Government of India.
            approvals in December 2025. The Ice
            Breaker series has already found an                                                                     The full version of this article first
            industrial base in India, with Bharat                                                                 appeared in the Comments section of
            Dynamics Limited (BDL) signing a         In the space sector, the launch of India’s first indigenously made Radar Imaging    the website (www.idsa.in) of Mano-
            MoU with Rafael Advanced Defense   Satellite (RISAT-1) was preceded by RISAT-2, which featured an Israeli-origin X-band Synthetic   har Parrikar Institute for Defense
            Systems to support its production.                      Aperture Radar (ISRO File Photo)               Studies and Analyses, New Delhi, on
                In the space sector, the launch of                                                                          March 9, 2026

                                                                   www.TheIndianEYE.com

| 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 |