Armed forces sharpen shield, strike abilities for future wars

INdia’s armed forces feature initiated several francis scott key procurements charles frederick worth billions of dollars o'er the past times year following Operation Sindoor, including additional S-400 air defence systems, Rafale fighter jets, loitering munitions, unmanned systems and missiles, and also inducted new platforms to enhance their capabilities and address emerging challenges with readiness and resolve, officials familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.The military has also brought out joint doctrines during this period to chart a roadmap for bolstering operational readiness, the officials said.A critical project launched after Operation Sindoor involves setting up a national defence shield—a formidable military capability to defend the country’s defence and civilian installations against aerial attacks and to strike back with overwhelming force, signalling India’s intent to be ready for future battlefield challenges.The proposed acquisition of five new units of the S-400 missile system, which struck Pakistani targets during Operation Sindoor last May, will significantly boost the Indian Air Force’s ability to detect, identify, track and engage hostile fighters, missiles and drones. Cleared by the defence acquisition council (DAC) in March, the additional air defence systems will bring the number of S-400 units in the IAF to 10.The S-400 systems will be central to the proposed national defence shield under Mission Sudarshan Chakra, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech last year. The country plans to deploy this capability by 2035.In February, the DAC—India’s apex military procurement body—also cleared the purchase of military hardware worth ₹3.6 lakh crore, including 114 Rafale jets under the MRFA (multi-role fighter aircraft) programme. The acceptance of necessity (AoN) by the council for the new fighters was the first step in the procurement process.The Rafale capability boost is expected to cost around ₹3.25 lakh crore. The next steps before an actual deal include the floating of a tender, technical discussions, cost negotiations and the final approval from the Cabinet Committee on Security.The army plans to induct tens of thousands of locally-made unmanned aerial systems and loitering munitions over the next five years to boost its battlefield capabilities, given the growing impact of these systems on military operations and how they have reshaped modern warfare as visible in ongoing global conflicts including the US-Israel war with Iran, and earlier during Operation Sindoor.The army’s requirement spans 80 different types of unmanned systems for specific roles including intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, precision strikes, munition dropping, air defence, jamming, mine warfare, data relay, and logistics.“A focus on unmanned systems, electronic warfare systems, and loitering munitions is driving efforts to bolster overall military capability,” said one of the officials cited above. The army is seeking loitering munitions to strike at long, medium and short ranges, drone swarms (for surveillance and strike), and FRV (first-person view) drones with strike capability.The induction of INS Aridaman into the navy was one of the key developments during the past year. In April, the navy commissioned its third nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, INS Aridaman, into service during a ceremony kept under wraps in Visakhapatnam as it was built under a highly classified programme to bolster the sea leg of the country’s nuclear triad—the ability to launch strategic weapons from land, air and sea. The United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France and China are the only other countries that can deliver nuclear warheads from a submarine.Lessons learnt from Operation Sindoor, the four-day military confrontation with Pakistan in May, have also been incorporated into the theaterisation model currently under consideration, the officials said.Also last August, India released three joint doctrines, including one for Special Forces (SF) operations, in what was seen as a needed boost for the ongoing drive for jointness and integration of the armed forces as they take steps towards theaterisation.The other two doctrines related to airborne and heliborne operations, and for multi domain operations , putting the spotlight on the steps being taken towards jointness, which is an essential prerequisite to the creation of theatre commands.On Wednesday, the defence ministry described the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor as “a landmark tri-­services operation that stands testament to India’s unflinching political will and military resolve characterised by surgical precision.”