Space Science For Security: ISRO’s GSAT-7A To Boost Network-Centric Warfare Capabilities Of Indian Military

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will be launching a dedicated satellite for the Indian Air Force and Army on 19 December, The Hindu has reported. According to sources of The Hindu, 70 per cent of the satellite will be used for the Air Force and the rest will be used for military.

“It will be a very important step or jump towards what we call network-centric operations or warfare. It will enable communication and data linking at forward places and air defence centres”, a military veteran told The Hindu.

GSAT-7A will enable the IAF to interlink various ground radar stations, airbases, AWACS aircraft and will boost the network-centric warfare capabilities as well as enhance its global operations. GSAT-7A deployment will also help the navy to upgrade from existing ground control stations to satellite control of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

The satellite will be launched into the geostationary orbit. Geostationary Space Launch Vehicle (GSLV)-F11 rocket will be used for launching the satellite. This will be GSLV’s thirteenth launch. GSLV-7A weighs 2,250 kg and it is the 35th communication satellite. It has communication capability in Ku-band in the Indian region. Ku-band capability will aid in real time aircraft-to-aircraft communication.