AWACS, MARS , PGMs, ECMs, UAVs and soon UAS, surveillance, communication and reconnaissance satellites, ODL, and AFNET are what are traditionally known as force multipliers. Together, these give invaluable support for the success of combat operations.

At dawn on a winter morning sometime in the near future, two large aircraft take to the sky; one from Allahabad and another from Nagpur and are soon on their way to previously assigned stations in two widely separated areas, along the border but well inside own territory. The saucer shaped antenna mounted on the rear fuselage of each aircraft is already scanning the skies for own and enemy aircraft, on ground and in air. These are two of the three recently inducted AWACS A-50 aircraft climbing to 30,000 feet, each capable of providing an all-round cover of up to 400 km. Two Il-78 tanker aircraft have also got airborne from an airfield in Central India and are proceeding to set up a pre-briefed ‘tow-line’ at about the same altitude. The AWACS now have the four Su-30 fighters on their radar screens and are busy directing them to expected threat areas. Two strike packages of eight Jaguars with MiG-29 ECM escorts are on their way to the targets in enemy territory. Although they are flying at low level, the AWACS can clearly see them and keep their ‘tails clear’. The AWACS can in fact look deep into the enemy territory and pick up the enemy interceptors even before they are airborne. A tactical reconnaissance UAV is soon airborne from a forward location in close proximity to the border and is streaming real time video pictures of the enemy ground positions to the local Brigade HQ. The four Su-30 interceptors will not be required to switch on their own airborne radars until the very last moment before engaging the enemy, thus preventing any possible jamming by the opposing side. All these aircraft are in radio contact through the operational data link (ODL) and the commander sitting in front of a massive screen in the underground operational centre at Command HQ is monitoring exactly how this network-enabled operation is proceeding.

Although this might at first sound fictional but such a scenario is in fact what the IAF is working for. This has become possible because of the various ‘force multipliers’ that the IAF has acquired. Today, it is busy, carefully orchestrating each of these elements to provide a fool-proof and nearly impregnable air defence of the country. AWACS, mid-air refuelling system (MARS), precision-guided munitions (PGMs), electronic countermeasures (ECM) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and soon unmanned aerial system (UAS), surveillance, communication and reconnaissance satellites, ODL, and Air Force Net (AFNET) are what are traditionally known as force multipliers. Together, these give invaluable support for the success of combat operations.

A force multiplier, as the term suggests, “is a capability that when added to and employed by a combat force, significantly increases the combat potential of that force and thus enhance the probability of successful mission accomplishment.”

AWACS

In March 2004, India placed an order for three Phalcon radar systems with Israel for $1.1 billion ( Rs. 6,050 crore)and for three A-50 (Il-76) heavy transport aircraft, for $500 million ( Rs. 2,750 crore). The IAF received the first of its three Beriev A-50 AWACS, equipped with the Phalcon radar on May 25, 2009. The radar uses the fuselage mounted rotodome but the active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar does not require a rotating antenna that was used by older systems. A typical AWACS carries a mixed crew of about 16 that includes two/three air crews to fly the aircraft and the dozen or so controllers who man the multiple radar screens in separate cubicles in the large fuselage. With an assured coverage of about 400 km, the AWACS can provide early warning in the true sense as it can, depending on its position, pick up an enemy aircraft on the ground or soon after it gets airborne and well before it poses a threat to own vital areas/vital points (VAs/VPs). The AWACS is thus capable of performing the task of many ground radars. Although vulnerable to enemy action, it can be protected by the many fighters that it would have under its control at any one time. A typical AWACS has a range of 6,000 km and can remain on station for a considerably long time; its efficiency limited only by the endurance of the crew and total fuel carried.

MARS

Mid-air refuelling system is not a new concept but has only recently entered the Indian skies. MARS as the IAF calls it, can significantly extend the range of fighters and strike aircraft. The last time the IAF sent a Su-30 squadron to an American airbase, the only support aircraft that accompanied them was one Il-78 tanker and another Il-76 heavy transport that carried the maintenance crews and ground equipment. Typically, when on a long ferry, the tanker follows a ‘trail’ procedure, which means that it gets airborne earlier to meet the main fighter elements and on the way refuels these and then lands at the destination. The process is repeated until both reach the final destination. Another method is to set up a tow line, usually a race course pattern with several fighters receiving fuel from the tanker when needed. Weather, visibility, light conditions, turbulence and enemy activity during hostilities are some of the important factors that affect these operations. Given the fact that the IAF fighters typically had extremely limited radii of action (RoA), the addition of six tankers is a boon to the service.

Precision Guided Munitions

PGMs are not a recent addition but nevertheless a major force multiplier. A laserguided bomb, cruise missile, joint direct attack munitions (JDAM), and a whole host of anti-ship, anti-radiation, air-to-air missiles both close combat or all aspect and beyond visual range (BVR), have vastly improved and enhanced the safety, lethality and cost effectiveness of a modern combat aircraft. The small diameter bomb, bunker buster, brimstone, javelin, hellfire and other such multipurpose missiles have in the recent past reduced the chances of collateral damage through better accuracy and a reduced spread.