Rama Krishna Sangem
India’s ambitious ‘Sudarshan Chakra‘ is great security shield for the country. But it is not an easy thing. This air defence system will require the development of a robust infrastructure comprising a range of key tri-services military assets such as missiles and surveillance systems to create an impregnable strategic shield, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan said on August 26, Tuesday.
The project will entail a colossal amount of integration of sensors, missiles, surveillance apparatus, artificial intelligence tools, the CDS said at an event in Madhya Pradesh. “I think the aim is to develop a system to protect India’s strategic, civilian and nationally important sites, and it will act both as a shield as well as a sword,” the Chief of Defence Staff said
In his first remarks on the project, the CDS said the military will have to look at multi-domain ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) integration of ground, air, maritime, undersea and space, sensors.
Chauhan also suggested that the Sudarshan Chakra will be on the lines of Israel’s Iron Dome all-weather air defence system, proven as a very effective missile shield. Sudarshan Chakra will also feature use of artificial intelligence, advanced computation, data analytics, deep data, analytics and quantum technology
The comments were made at the ‘Ran Samwad’ in MP’s Mhow. The event is a tri-services seminar on war and warfighting. Gen Chauhan also briefly delved into Operation Sindoor and said a number of lessons have been learnt from the conflict and they are being implemented.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced India’s plans to unveil an indigenous air defence system for the entire country called Sudarshan Chakra in about a decade. Though detailed financial plans for it were not announced publicly, the defence establishment is understood to have commenced efforts to make it a reality.
CDS chief Gen Chuhan, known for his candid yet professional approach toward the defence issues has only underlined the significance of sustained and coordinate efforts on the part of the government to put in place this Sudarshan Chakra. Sudarshan Chakra will secure the entire India from the missile attacks from enemy countries by 2035.