M A I N   N E W S

By Dec 2011, listening posts to make borders securer
Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 2
In a two-pronged attempt to further secure the country, India will set up listening posts along its borders to intercept enemy communication and install low-level radars to detect movement.

Announcing the project here today, a spokesperson of the premier research establishment Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said that the border communication intelligence gathering system would be ready and inducted to cover all border areas by December 2011. Developed by Hyderabad-based Defence Electronics Research Laboratory (DLRL), the project envisaged fitting up of 10 static and 25 mobile stations for intercepting enemy communication.

DLRL Director G Boopathy said that the system would help the armed forces and the paramilitary in intercepting communication of terror groups across the border.

The DRDO is also working on several electronics and computer science (ECS) related projects for the armed forces and the paramilitary, like communication jammers and integrating them on platforms. Other important developments are low-level light radars (LLLRs) for mountainous areas. Two versions of the radar -- ‘Bharani’ for Army and ‘Aslesha’ for the air force -- were recently successfully tested. The Western Air Command (WAC) plans to put in place several kinds of radars along the 667-km LAC with China to boost the air defence capability of IAF; one of these being mountain-top radars. These will detect movement like the one made by a Chinese chopper in Ladakh last year. India did not have an “electronic eye” to pick it up.

The Electronics and Radar Development Establishment's (LRDE) is working on an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar for use in future Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) ‘Tejas’ for both IAF and Navy apart from a Maritime Patrol Airborne Radar (MPAR) that could track even sea-skimming missiles.

Also in the pipeline is a laser-based ordnance disposal system (LORDS) that can destroy rockets, bombs and explosives that have completed their shelf-life without having to go close to them. The process of integrating the LORDS on armoured vehicles is on.

Low intensity conflict systems of the future include handheld dazzlers that immobilise human targets for some minutes providing forces the much-needed advantage apart from crowd control dazzlers mounted on vehicles and air defence dazzlers that work against enemy crafts or choppers.