Next-Gen electronic warfare systems

In a bid to see “deep inside enemy territories,” India has plans of developing next-generation electronic warfare (EW) systems, which can be integrated with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), aircraft and satellites, a senior Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) official said on Tuesday.

Speaking on the sidelines of a press conference here, R Sreehari Rao, DRDO Chief Controller, Research and Development (Electronics and Computer Sciences), while pointing out that the EW system at present, especially ground-based ones integrated on naval platforms have got a limited range said: “...thereby, they cannot intercept beyond the line of sight.”

Stating that EW systems in the pipeline (for UAVs and so on) would have a “very” long range, he said that as opposed to the 10-20 km range now these new systems will give the country a 400-500 km range, boosting the surveillance capabilities. “Those to be integrated on the satellites will go beyond 500-km,” he said.

I V Sarma, Bharat Electronics Limited Director (R&D) projected that the Army, Navy and the Air Force,  would place orders worth Rs 25,000 crore in this segment in future.