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Indian Navy Places Bulk Order For SDRs

Friday, August 9, 2019

The Indian Navy will be the first of the country’s three armed services to induct new-generation software-defined radios (SDR), following a contract signature on August 8, 2019 with state-owned Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), the producer of the SDRs. It was on November 29, 2017 that the Defence Acquisition Council of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) had cleared procurement of these SDRs, valued at Rs.490 crore (US$70.64 million). More than 260 SDRs of different types are being procured under the Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured (IDDM) category.

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While the MoD-owned Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) designed and developed the SDRs, it was assisted by multiple agencies, including the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC), Centre for Artificial Intelligence & Robotics (CAIR), and the Indian Navy’s Weapon and Electronics System Engineering Establishment (WESEE). The contract involves the replacement of existing hardware-based legacy communication sets with software-based multi-band, multi-functional and multi-role/mission radios. This is to enable secure communications for improved information sharing and situational awareness. The SDRs feature domestic waveforms capable of providing a wide range of frequency usage and capability enhancement. The DRDO had worked on the Integrated Development of Software-Defined Radio (INDESDR) project for eight years. Following the development of the radios, the DRDO conducted user-trials for five different SDRs, all of which will be seamlessly interfaced with the Indian Navy’s new-generation digital network (NAVNET).

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On October 16, 2018, Vedanta Group’s Pune-based Sterlite Tech, a digital networks and telecom solutions company, bagged a Rs.3,500 crore contract from the Indian Navy deal to design, build, operate and maintain the NAVNET. The multi-year contract includes design, execution, operations and maintenance of the NAVNET. Sterlite Tech will build a robust integrated communications network that would provide a secure, reliable and seamless digital highway to the Indian Navy for administrative and operational applications. This network will give the Indian Navy digital defence supremacy at par with the best naval forces in the world, Sterlite, which also manufactures optic-fibre cables domestically. The initiative includes creation of an independent high-capacity end-to-end communications network, linking multiple static Indian Navy sites and India-administered islands, and includes the setting-up of highly secure data centres and Big Data content delivery software-defined next-generation networks. This is the first time an integrated end-to-end digital network at such a scale is beingbuilt in India, empowering the Indian Navy to secure the country’s borders till the farthest posts in India. The technology will also enable the Indian Navy to ride new-age applications with advanced security solutions while bringing real-time situational awareness and faster decision making.

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Other Services Networks :

At the apex-level is the Army Strategic Operational Information Dissemination System (ASTROIDS), which connects Army Headquarters to the Command Headquarters and forward to the Corps Headquarters while rearwards it will connect to the national command post, the other Services and other national level entities. The latter portion dealing with the national strategic level will be enabled through the C4I2SR (Command, Control, Computers, Communications, Intelligence, Information, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) System when it gets established.

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The Army Static Switched Communications (ASCON) system’s third-tier, commissioned in September 2006, is called Mercury Thunder and it forms the backbone communications network of the Indian Army. ASCON provides voice and data links between static command/formation headquarters and those in peacetime locations. It is of modular design so that it can be upgraded as better technology becomes available. As a back-up, the Indian Army also deployed the static fibre-optic Army Intranet, known as the Army Wide Area Network (AWAN) February 24, 2006. Mercury Thunder builds on Mercury Streak that created an optical fibre cable (OFC) network for the Army in 1995, and Mercury Flash that provided a microwave network in 1998. Mercury Thunder enables the integration of its predecessors with a satellite-based overlay that enables seamless transfers over all three systems. It enables the transmission of real-time battlefield data to top commanders during hostilities and also enables a qualitative improvement in relief and rescue operations when natural disasters strike. Mercury Thunder raises the number of channels on which voice conversations can be simultaneously transmitted from 120 to 10,000. Since ASCON supports a mix of voice, data and video transfer, the number of channels available at any given time would depend on what mix of the three was adopted.

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Field-level Command Information Decision Support System (CIDSS) is under the command and control of the GOC Corps Commander. Field-level ‘Project Sanjay’ Battlefield Surveillance System (BSS), ‘Shakti’ Artillery Command Control and Communications System (CCCS), Air Defence Control and Reporting System (ADC & RS) and Battlefield Management System (BMS) are all bound by the CIDSS as the backbone, also configured to integrate field-level systems like the EWS and ELINT (the Samyukta/Himshakti systems). in an effort to present a holistic picture to a commander and his senior staff officers to ease the decision-making process. The second vital link will connect the Corps Headquarters forward to the Battalion Headquarters. This will be the Tactical C3I (Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence) system or tac-4g, which will use the 4-G cellular telecommunications networks already established by BSNL, as well as those if private-sector service providers like Reliance JIO.

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TAC-4G is based on a flat-IP network architecture which provides flexible and fast communications between many users. This includes fast-and-secure communications between different points and support of concurrent running of multiple applications, many of which require high bandwidth. The high flexibility of TAC-4G along with additional inherent capabilities such as information security, on-the-move network infrastructure, and support of multiple applications, positions the system as an optimal solution for addressing the complex military communications requirements. TAC-4G also supports a wide variety of multimedia applications and allows quick and easy addition or removal of applications. It also implements the ‘network-centric warfare’ principle; allows various-level commanders the highest level of control and effective activation of various warfighting, logistics and maintenance forces; allows, real-time battlefield management and control; uses the cost-effective commercial cellular network providers’ infrastructure, which allows shorter implementation time and fewer risks in comparison to other alternatives that are not based on COTS infrastructures.

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Air Force Network (AFNet) is an Indian Air Force (IAF) owned, operated and managed digital information grid. The AFNet replaces the old communication network set-up using the troposcatter technology of the 1950s making it a true net-centric combat force. The AFNet project is also part of the overall mission to network all three armed services: that is the Indian Army, Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force. Commissioned on September 14, 2010, AFNET is a fibre optic-based network on which the integrated air command, control and communications system (IACCCS) of the IAF rides. It also provides a real-time sensor-to-shooter loop, which will enable IAF commanders to make instant decisions to order the weapons to be deployed. AFNet is a dedicated fibre-optic network that offers up to 500 MBPS encrypted, secure bandwidth. It incorporates the latest traffic transportation technology in the form of IP (Internet Protocol) packets over the network using Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS). A large VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) layer with stringent quality of service enforcement facilitates robust, high-quality voice, video and conferencing solutions. All major IAF formations and static establishments have been linked through a secure Wide Area Network (WAN) and are accessible through data communication lines. Decision-makers can now get intelligence inputs (for example, video feed from UAVs, real-time air situation pictures from AEW & CS platforms etc.) from far-flung areas at central locations seamlessly.

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AFNet can be described as a perfect example of public-private partnership. The Rs.1,077 crore project,which started in 2006, was developed by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (Department of Telecommunications DoT), HCL Infosystems and Cisco Systems in collaboration with the Ministry of Defence (MoD). The DoT started the project in the previous decade to set up a dedicated fibre-optic network for the exclusive use of Indian armed forces at a cost of Rs.10,000 crore. As per the agreement, the DoT is required to lay about 40,000km of optical fibre cable connecting 219 army stations, 33 naval stations and 162 points for the air force (so far, work pertaining to the air force and navy has been completed). In exchange, the armed forces have released the frequency spectrums.

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TRISHUL: Indian Navy Places Bulk Order For SDRs
 
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To match China’s pace, Navy adopts new ship-making tech

By Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service
New Delhi
Posted at: Aug 13, 2019, 7:07 AM
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Photo : INS Sahyadri (Courtesy : Indian Navy)

With China building warships at a rapid pace, India is banking on upcoming construction technology to keep pace with the dragon nation. The ongoing project, P-17A, which is using modular construction, is what the Navy thinks will be its future and set the pace for making new warships.

The Navy is hopeful that the building time will be brought down from the present seven-eight years to three-four years for each warship. The first one is expected to be inducted in three years. All the seven warships of this project are expected by 2026 or 2027. The construction on the first one started in February 2017 and it should be ready for trials in 2021. The cost of each warship is around Rs 6,300 crore.

The modular construction will lay the path for future ship building, said a senior functionary. This is the first time India is trying this concept, which is common in Europe, Korea, Japan and the US. It involves building a multi-thousand-tonne warship in small modules, which are brought together and assembled at one place.

This means faster building times as modules can be made at different places. And these modules can be made for all the seven ships at one go. So far, ships were built by progressively building the structure.

Three of the warships are being made at the Garden Reach Ship Builders (GRSE) Kolkata and another four at Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL), Mumbai. Both the ship builders have created modular construction facilities.

The warships will incorporate the latest stealth features and carry a compact weapon platform that will include Barak 8 and BrahMos missiles, which will be vertically launched.

The manpower usage will also come down. Existing such warships have a crew of 250 whereas advanced automation will bring it down to 160, which will reduce operational costs by around 20 per cent and result in higher operational availability of the warships. The Project 17-A class frigate is follow-on of the Project 17 Shivalik-class frigate for the Navy.

About P-17A :
  • 7 warships India expects to build by 2026 or 2027.
  • 2021 by when trials on first warship likely to start.
  • Rs 6,300 cr estimated cost of each warship.
How the concept works:
  • Project 17-A, the Navy’s warship-building venture, is using latest modular construction technique
  • A multi-thousand-tonne warship is built in parts at different plants and then assembled at one place
  • A warship’s building time is expected to be brought down from present seven-eight years to three-four years

To match China’s pace, Navy adopts new ship-making tech
 
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This one is probably not a military combat ship. Maybe a support vessel of some kind. Notice the helo pad and the mast ? None of our combat vessels use helo pads that big, also the pad seems to be elevated. The multicoloured frame mast is straight out of the Soviet vessels of the 70s.
This one is almost Kamorta size.
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Now this one is a military combat vessel without a doubt. Often the mast of the ship is the key to identifying it. Unfortunately the picture isn't clear enough to identify the mast. There is no main gun on that ship, so its not a MLU but a new construction. When was this photo taken ?
 
This one is probably not a military combat ship. Maybe a support vessel of some kind. Notice the helo pad and the mast ? None of our combat vessels use helo pads that big, also the pad seems to be elevated. The multicoloured frame mast is straight out of the Soviet vessels of the 70s.

Now this one is a military combat vessel without a doubt. Often the mast of the ship is the key to identifying it. Unfortunately the picture isn't clear enough to identify the mast. There is no main gun on that ship, so its not a MLU but a new construction. When was this photo taken ?
360/45 seems to be of Kamorta dimensions, what else is of that size? the photo is snippet from google maps. It's adjacent to the where INS Vikrant is sitting.
 
360/45 seems to be of Kamorta dimensions
Yes exactly Kamorta's dimensions.
what else is of that size?
Nothing really. All other ships are either more than 120m(frigates) or less than a 100m(corvettes). Remember the Kamorta, at 109m of length, was designed to be a mix of a frigate and corvette, as such its a rather oddly sized ship.
It's adjacent to the where INS Vikrant is sitting.
Can't be Kamorta then. All the Kamorta class ships were built in GSRE where as the INS Vikrant is being built in CSL.
Wait a minute.................which Vikrant ? The new one being built in Cochin or the old one sitting in Mumbai ?
If its in the MDL then there is a possibility that this ship here might be a P-17A. Although the P-17A was reported to be 149m in length.
 
Yes exactly Kamorta's dimensions.

Nothing really. All other ships are either more than 120m(frigates) or less than a 100m(corvettes). Remember the Kamorta, at 109m of length, was designed to be a mix of a frigate and corvette, as such its a rather oddly sized ship.

Can't be Kamorta then. All the Kamorta class ships were built in GSRE where as the INS Vikrant is being built in CSL.
Wait a minute.................which Vikrant ? The new one being built in Cochin or the old one sitting in Mumbai ?
If its in the MDL then there is a possibility that this ship here might be a P-17A. Although the P-17A was reported to be 149m in length.
New Vikrant IAC at CSL, and that's why I am confused, nothing on the book suggests a Kamorta sized ship that I can recall of, but it's sitting right there. .
 
New Vikrant IAC at CSL, and that's why I am confused, nothing on the book suggests a Kamorta sized ship that I can recall of, but it's sitting right there. .
Indeed very puzzling. By the look of the ship is can't be something that they started building yesterday, they must've been at it for a long time. I remember a recent post of @Ankit Kumar in which he stated a corvette based on the Kamorta design. Maybe he can add more.
 
Indeed very puzzling. By the look of the ship is can't be something that they started building yesterday, they must've been at it for a long time. I remember a recent post of @Ankit Kumar in which he stated a corvette based on the Kamorta design. Maybe he can add more.
NGC project isn't even in RFP stage.

It seemed to me a Sukanya class opv initially,but its longer than that. The length is that of P28 only.

But this is the 4th P28 at GRSE for comparison.

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NGC project isn't even in RFP stage.

It seemed to me a Sukanya class opv initially,but its longer than that. The length is that of P28 only.

But this is the 4th P28 at GRSE for comparison.

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Do we know that INS Kavaratti is commissioned and join the fleet ?

Could this be THE INS Kavaratti - just at different times and position in the year at the same Yard?