India’s Coastal Radar System In Maldives: Indian Technical Teams Resume Work In High Gear
Technical personnel from India are about to finish the process of installing a chain of coastal surveillance radar on the Maldives, following a momentary suspension of work on the system during political turmoil in the country, reports The Economic Times. The system will soon be operational and will have the capacity to transmit local information, videos and pictures.
The radar chain will also be connected with similar radar systems in India, Mauritius, Seychelles and Sri Lanka. Together, this network will create a comprehensive live feed of movement of vessels in the Indian Ocean, information which can be utilised by navies of allied nations.
The total number of radars which will be part of the system on the Maldives is ten. Of these, three were already functional but were only abole to send out AIS (automatic identification system) data, and and presently going upgrades by technicians from Bharat Electronics Limited.
Once the upgrades are implemented, the system can be integrated into the wider Coastal Surveillance Radar System. India took the initiative to increase maritime domain awareness in the aftermath of the 26/11 terrorists attack in Mumbai; coastal surveillance radars have been made operational in Sri Lanka, Mauritius and Seychelles already.