Drawing lessons from the ongoing war in West Asia, the Indian military brass have begun discussions focused on the need for procurement of anti-drone systems and their large-scale integration with existing legacy air defence weapon systems to create an effective umbrella against small enemy drones, The Indian Express has learnt.
Acquisition of high-quality swarm drones and robotic capability to disrupt enemy logistics and supply chains while targeting the adversary’s manufacturing capacity are among the first lessons drawn from the month-old war.
Senior military officers said India will also have to undertake passive measures such as dispersion, concealment, camouflage, force preservation, underground infrastructure, and fighting wars in a decentralised manner.
According to one of the officers, Iran’s use of swarm drones as one of the preferred offensive options highlights the need to enhance Indian counter-drone capability in a cost-effective manner.
“The cost of a small drone is negligible compared to the cost of expensive missiles, and swarms of such small drones can overwhelm air defences. Shooting them down using missiles is an expensive option,” the officer said.
“Legacy systems with cheaper ammunition, if upgraded and integrated with new anti-drone systems, can create an effective air defence cover against such drones,” the officer said.
During the hostilities that followed Operation Sindoor in May last year, Pakistan sent swarms of inexpensive drones into the Indian territory, while camouflaging some armed and surveillance drones.
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Legacy air defence systems, such as the L/70 guns, were used to shoot them down, even then. The current West Asia conflict shows a pressing requirement to further integrate these weapon systems with the new anti-drone systems being procured.
Additionally, with swarm drones emerging as a potent offensive system, there is a need to acquire them in large numbers to overwhelm enemy air defence systems and strike targets.
“Enhanced robotic capability can reduce dependence on manpower, reducing casualties and being able to carry out similar tasks. This could include the acquisition and employment of robotic equipment for mine detection, load carrying, among others,” a second officer said.
The current conflict has also provided strategic lessons for India, particularly regarding the selection of targets. For example, both Israel and Iran have conducted attacks on each other’s energy resources and administrative infrastructure, resulting in significant damage to their logistics and supply chains.
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In contrast, India has primarily focused its military efforts on the borders or targeted terrorist camps to attain military objectives.
“The selection of strategic targets will be a key factor in future conflicts,” one of the officers said.
Prioritising the vulnerability of deep targets, operationalising the Sudarshan Chakra air defence cover at the earliest, and achieving self-reliance in critical defence technologies are among the topics under discussion.
A third officer said that there is an urgent need for India to implement passive measures. “The biggest lesson from the ongoing conflict is that your strategic assets can be saturated beyond a point. So, there is a need to urgently implement passive measures such as dispersion, concealment, camouflage, and force preservation, because even your best platforms will have limitations,” the officer said.
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The officer was referring to Israel’s Iron Dome which, despite having an excellent success rate, was overwhelmed or bypassed in certain instances by massive, coordinated barrages of advanced ballistic missiles fired by Iran.
Other lessons being discussed include the need for greater decentralisation and to fight wars in a decentralised manner. This can be done with the creation of joint military commands, presently under discussion.
The conflict also has lessons on the preparations needed for the ability to sustain a long-drawn war versus a short and swift conflict, the need to establish clear objectives at the beginning of a war and with that, the need to achieve “conflict termination” at every stage, officers said.
Last year, Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, referring to Operation Sindoor, said that the world could draw a lesson from India on how to start and terminate a conflict swiftly.
