In Pics: The Air Defence System That Gave India Edge During Op Sindoor
Here is a look at India's 'Guardians Of The Sky' that gave it edge during Operation Sindoor
India's integrated air defence system is an automated system integrates data from forces to combat aerial threats.
It includes systems operated by the Army, Navy and the Air Force, which was brought together under the Integrated Air Command and Control System.
This is followed by a second layer that includes to-a-point defence systems to protect specific areas or assets.
The fourth, for area-defence, are long-range SAMs fired from the Russian-made S-400 and the fighter jets.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Rajnath Singh, CDS to attend tri-services seminar at Army War College, Mhow; Operation Sindoor on the table
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Military officers will share "hard-earned lessons" from India's operational frontlines, the Operation Sindoor experience, and engage in discussions on August 26-27 on enhancing jointness in the armed forces as part of a pioneering tri-services seminar themed on the impact of technology on Minister Rajnath Singh Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Anil Chauhan, IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal A P Singh and Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Triparthi are scheduled to attend 'Ransamwad 2025' to be held at Army War College, Mhow, in Madhya Pradesh, officials said on joint doctrines on multi-domain operations, special forces operations, and airborne and heliborne operations will also be released during the event, a senior official said, adding that the one on multi-domain operations will be released by Singh while the remaining two by the will also release the Technology Perspective and Capability Roadmap (TPCR).In a video message for the event shared on Wednesday on the X handle of HQ IDS, Vice Chief of the Army Staff, Lt General Pushpendra Pal Singh, said serving officers will share operational insights into modern warfighting at 'Ransamwad'."Today, India's security environment is complex. We operate across two active borders in high-altitude, urban, jungle and desert terrains, while simultaneously responding to cyber, information and grey zone threats. From the sustained counter-insurgency operations in the northeast and Jammu and Kashmir to Operation Sindoor, the Indian Army has evolved into a multi-domain, all-terrain force," he said India's defence preparedness rests on jointness."The Indian Army is implementing transformative reforms, agile integrated battle groups, digitised command and control theaterisations to ensure that we are suitably prepared for protracted, sharp and high-tempo conflicts of the future," he Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff on Wednesday held a curtain-raiser briefing at the Manekshaw Centre at Delhi Cantonment on the upcoming event to be hosted by HQ ARTRAC (Army Training Command) under the aegis of HQ IDS."India needs to lead the strategic debate on future war -- we were a 'Vishwa Guru' once and we need to reclaim that space, and to be more adept at fighting future warfare," a senior official Gen Vipul Shinghal, Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Doctrine, Organisation and Training), shared the broader details of the two-day seminar, which is themed Impact of Technology on Warfare, and looks at the convergence of ideas on strategy, innovation and national two sub-themes of the seminar are Emerging Technologies and Impact on Future Warfare, and Reforms in Institutionalised Training to Catalyse Technological Enablement, he Minister Singh will attend the event on August 27, Lt Gen Shinghal key seminar on war, warfare and warfighting is taking place three-and-a-half months after India's Operation if the event was planned before or after the military action in May, a senior official said planning for Ransamwad 2025 predates Operation added that the Operation Sindoor experience will figure in the a video message for the event shared a day earlier on the X handle of HQ IDS, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (CISC) Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit said "in an era where speed of decision is itself a weapon, we must think, train and fight as one force"."Ransamwad is not just a seminar, it is a strategic dialogue where our officers share hard-earned lessons from India's operational frontlines. From contested borders to cyber battlegrounds , India's security environment is multi-dimensional and dynamic. This makes jointness no longer optional; it is mission-critical. Successful Operation Sindoor is a testimony to this," he said."Our armed forces are undergoing rapid integration, joint structures are being shaped, tri-service modes are operational, and defence, cyber and space agencies are active. AI, autonomous and quantum systems are now part of military planning. Ransamvad anchors these changes in operational reality," the CISC said in his CISC, in his message, welcomed the hosting of the seminar steered by HQ ARTRAC, and said the Air Force and Navy will carry the torch forward in the coming years."The Integrated Defence Staff sees this not just as a seminar, but as a doctrinal crucible for India's future force. Ransamvad is where India's integrated future takes shape," he Gen Devendra Sharma, GOC-in-C, ARTRAC, in his video message hosted on the X handle of HQ IDS, said the Army, Navy and IAF officers will share their thoughts on recent conflicts, emerging technologies, niche and disruptive warfighting technologies, the Operation Sindoor experience, integration of space and warfighting, and training for Operation Sindoor, India took a decisive military action in May on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir (PoK) in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam attack."Let Ransamvad be the forum, where we not only discuss warfighting but also define its very course," he HQ IDS said the forum will allow delegates to explore cutting-edge innovations, integrated combat strategies and modernised training frameworks that will equip the Indian armed forces for "future operational challenges", supporting the goals of Atmanirbhar Bharat
India.com
3 hours ago
- India.com
After India-Russia, Apple ignores Trump's threat, takes BIG decision linked to India, will manufacture…, in…
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff threats were not taken seriously by India. The country is still buying oil from Russia,similarly even after Trump's warning while Apple has taken this decision. India Resumes Russian Oil Imports State-run oil companies Indian Oil (IOC) and Bharat Petroleum (BPCL) have restarted purchases of Russian crude for September and October deliveries. The decision was driven by rising discounts on Russian oil. According to two company officials quoted by Reuters, these firms had stopped buying in July when discounts had narrowed, but are now benefiting from a $3 per barrel discount on Russian Urals crude. Trump had imposed tariffs on many countries worldwide and issued several warnings. He threatened that if India continued to buy crude oil from Russia he may penalise the country with more tariffs. Also Read: Big trouble for Sundar Pichai's Google and Steve Jobs Apple? this regulator to mandate changes for…, to protect consumers, businesses from… iPhone Makers Big Decision Linked To India He had already given warnings to Apple. However, neither India nor Apple seems to be falling for his pressure. Apple has now decided that the entire new iPhone series will be manufactured in India. For the first time, all models of the iPhone 17 series, including the Pro versions, will be manufactured in India across five factories, two of which have recently become operational. Apple is doing this to reduce its dependence on China for iPhones destined for the U.S. market and to shield itself from the risk of tariffs. The company has already shifted a major share of iPhone production from China to India. Also Read: Satya Nadella's BIG move, Microsoft stops 30-year-old practice and drops Apple, IBM, Meta, NVIDIA from its list of… Story Highlights India Russia Response On Donald Trump's Tariffs Apple iPhone 17 To Be Manufactured In India Donald Trump Warning To India Over Russian Oil Apple Iphone 17 In India According to Bloomberg, Tata Group's plant in Hosur and Foxconn's hub near Bengaluru Airport will play a critical role in this expansion. Tata has emerged as Apple's fastest-growing partner, and experts believe it could handle nearly half of India's iPhone production within the next two years.
Mint
3 hours ago
- Mint
Can US Navy's $5B sea drones really stop China? Crashes and chaos raise doubts
During a U.S. naval test off the California coast last month, which was designed to showcase the Pentagon's top autonomous drone boats, one vessel stalled unexpectedly. As officials scrambled to fix a software glitch, another drone vessel smashed into the idling boat's starboard side, vaulted over the deck, and crashed back into the water – an incident captured in videos obtained by Reuters. The previously unreported episode, which involved two vessels built by U.S. defense tech rivals Saronic and BlackSea Technologies, is one of a series of recent setbacks in the Pentagon's push to build a fleet of autonomous vessels, according to a dozen people familiar with the program. Weeks earlier, during a separate Navy test, the captain of a support boat was thrown into the water after another autonomous BlackSea vessel it was towing suddenly accelerated, capsizing the support boat, according to four people familiar with the matter. The captain was rescued and declined medical attention. The incident was first reported by Defense Scoop. Both incidents stemmed from a combination of software failures and human error, including breakdowns in communication between onboard systems and external autonomous software, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter, who requested anonymity to share sensitive information. The Navy, Saronic and BlackSea declined to comment on the incidents. The videos showing the drone crash were verified by two Reuters sources, the landscape matching terrain imagery, the GARC-096 name ID and structure of the boat matching file imagery of Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC). U.S. military leaders, seeing the outsized impact of maritime drones in the Ukraine war, have repeatedly said they need autonomous swarms of aerial and maritime drones to hinder a potential advance by China across the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan itself has begun acquiring its own maritime drones. The drones being developed in Ukraine, which often look like speedboats without seats, and are capable of carrying weapons, explosives and surveillance equipment, are primarily remote-controlled and cost close to $250,000 – making them optimal for kamikaze missions that have effectively neutralized Russia's Black Sea Fleet. The US, meanwhile, is aiming to build an autonomous naval fleet that can move in swarms and without human command – a more ambitious task at a higher price point; as much as a few million dollars per speedboat. The recent test failures highlight the challenges facing the Navy's effort to deploy the nascent technologies, said Bryan Clark, an autonomous warfare expert at the Hudson Institute. It will need to adapt its "tactics as it better understands what the systems can do and what they can't do." But the Navy's problems go beyond getting the boats to work: its autonomous maritime drone acquisition unit has also been rocked by the firing of its top admiral, and a top Pentagon official voiced concerns about the program in a candid meeting with Navy brass last month, Reuters found. Since the most recent incident, the Pentagon's Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), which had acquired technology for the tests, has indefinitely paused a contract – valued close to $20 million – with L3Harris, one of the companies providing autonomous software used to control some of the vessels, according to two people familiar with the matter. The Pentagon did not respond to questions about the cause of the accidents or the L3Harris contract being paused, which has not been previously reported. A Pentagon spokesperson said it conducted drone tests as part of a "competitive and iterative approach, between operators and industry." L3Harris declined to comment on the contract and directed questions to the DIU. The DIU declined to comment. "L3Harris stands behind the safety, integrity and capability of our autonomy command-and-control product," said Toby Magsig, who oversees L3Harris' autonomous software products. To accelerate its drone effort, the Pentagon in 2023 launched the $1 billion Replicator program, through which branches like the U.S. Navy and the DIU planned to acquire thousands of aerial and maritime drones, along with the software to control them. The first systems from this program are due to be announced this month. The Navy has committed at least $160 million to BlackSea, which is producing dozens of its Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft boats a month, according to procurement records. Saronic, which was recently valued at $4 billion in a funding round backed by Andreessen Horowitz and 8VC, makes the competitive sea drone Corsair, but is yet to announce a major contract. Federal procurement records show the company has generated at least $20 million from prototype agreements. "These systems will play a critical role in the future of naval warfare by extending fleet reach, improving situational awareness, and increasing combat effectiveness," acting chief of naval operations Jim Kilby said during a visit to BlackSea's facility in June. Since returning to office, President Donald Trump has made fielding swarms of drones a top military priority. Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' passed last month included almost $5 billion for maritime autonomous systems. But, so far, the Navy's approach has faced skepticism under the new administration. In April, the Navy's key drone boat procurement unit – known as Program Executive Office Unmanned and Small Combatants (PEO USC) – touted a successful demonstration of the software used to control BlackSea's vessels in a post on LinkedIn, hailing it as "a major step forward in advancing #maritime autonomy." In response, Colin Carroll, then-chief of staff to Deputy Secretary of Defense Steven Feinberg, suggested the program was duplicating other efforts within the Pentagon. 'I have a feeling that there are changes in this program's future,' he replied to the LinkedIn post. Carroll, who is no longer with the Pentagon, declined to comment further. The PEO USC was recently placed under review, according to four people familiar with the matter, due to a series of setbacks, and could be restructured or shut down. This comes two months after the Navy said it had sacked the unit's leader, Rear Admiral Kevin Smith, due to a loss of confidence in his leadership after the Naval Inspector General substantiated a complaint against him. Reuters was unable to contact Smith. During a meeting last month, Feinberg grilled Navy officials about their autonomous vessel capabilities, including those being fielded by the PEO USC, according to three people briefed on the meeting. Feinberg was unimpressed by some of the capabilities being acquired by the Navy and questioned whether they were cost-effective, the people said. A Pentagon spokesperson said, "we're not going to comment on private internal meetings" and directed questions about PEO USC to the Navy. The Navy declined to comment on the meeting or the acquisition unit being put under review. Spokesperson Timothy Hawkins said the PEO USC stands by its mission, including its role as acquisition authority for the maintenance and modernization of unmanned maritime systems. The turmoil comes as shipbuilders and software providers are angling to secure even larger autonomous maritime projects, such as unmanned submarines and cargo-carrying ships. Last week, the PEO USC started accepting proposals for the Modular Attack Surface Craft, to acquire medium and large vessels capable of carrying containers, surveillance equipment, and conducting strikes. T.X. Hammes, an autonomous weapons expert and Atlantic Council fellow, said the Navy is in uncharted waters, trying to overhaul decades of tradition at high speed. "You've got a system that's used to building big things, taking years to make a decision, and now suddenly you're asking them to move fast," he said.
