Operation Sindoor | How India’s air defence shield works: Inside the IACCS command system

Capable air defence systems that protect against enemy air strikes are vital to a nation’s defensive infrastructure. Air defence systems use a complex system of radar, control centres, defensive fighter jets, and ground-based air defence missile, artillery, and electronic warfare systems to neutralise a range of threats from the sky, including enemy aircraft, drones, and missiles.

THE IAF’S IACCS

Developed by the public sector aerospace and defence electronics company Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), IACCS is an automated command and control system that integrates data from all air defence assets, including ground-based radar, airborne sensors, civilian radar, communication nodes, and the various command and control centres of the IAF.

The availability of the consolidated dataset, along with real-time updates, provides military commanders at multiple levels with a comprehensive picture and overall situational awareness during air operations, so that they can respond to a wide range of aerial threats.

The total battlefield picture enables central control and decentralised execution at various levels. By reducing reaction time, it allows military commanders to make early decisions on identification and assessment of threats, and to direct air defence assets to carry out kills.

The overlapping radar and radio data coverage of the IACCS helps in effective airspace management and reduces redundancy.

THE ARMY’S AKASHTEER

The Indian Army has a similar air defence control and reporting system called Akashteer, which connects the units of its air defence.

Akashteer too has been developed by BEL, with which the Ministry of Defence signed a Rs 1,982 crore contract in March 2023, according to an official release issued at the time. Akashteer would enable the monitoring of low-level airspace over battle areas, and effectively control ground based air defence weapon systems, the release said.

Akashteer operates at a comparatively small scale at present. It is in the process of being integrated with IACCS for effective coordination between the Army and Air Force air defence operations.

MULTILAYERED UMBRELLA

The air defence assets of the Indian military are deployed in a multi-layered system.

Point defence comprises low-level air defence guns and shoulder-fired weapons, while area defence comprises fighter aircraft and long-range missiles.

A range of surveillance radar forms part of the air defence grid. The modern radars of the IAF — both ground radar and the air-based AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) and AEW&C (Airborne Early Warning & Control) System — are networked into the IACCS. These radars play a key role in the detection, identification, interception and destruction of hostile intruders.

In their presentation, the military officers explained the four layers of the Indian air defence umbrella. The first layer comprised counter-drone systems and MANPADS (Man-Portable Air Defence Systems), while the second and third layers comprised point air defence, short-range surface-to-air missiles and medium-range surface-to-air missiles respectively. The fourth layer of the grid comprised long-range surface-to-air missiles.

IACCS IN FUTURE

Over the past several years, the IAF has significantly enhanced its air defence efforts across all sensitive bases, by increasing the presence of radars and Surface to Air Guided Weapon (SAGW) systems, all of which have been integrated into the IACCS network.

As modern warfare grows more complex, systems such as the IACCS will help achieve the critical integration of all air defence assets to ensure coordinated responses from air defence platforms across the three Services.

It will also fully incorporate emerging and cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence for the analysis of various threats in the future, officials said.