Now, it can get precision signals from Russian constellation of satellites
A day before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived here last weekend for his annual summit with the Russian leadership, an Indian defence team of scientists and defence brass returned to Delhi after inking an agreement for receiving precision signals from Glonass, Russian constellation of satellites.
These signals will allow missiles, including those fired from nuclear submarine Chakra, to strike within half a metre of distant targets.
Glonass is an alternative to the U.S.-controlled Global Positioning System (GPS). .
Indian military's access to Glonass has been considered important enough to find a mention in half-a-dozen joint statements issued after India-Russian annual summits.
As has been the case earlier, the issue lay in an indeterminate state for long time after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh discussed it with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev during their meeting in Delhi last year.
When bureaucracies from both sides began drawing up a status report on the progress in decisions taken last year, the Russian side found that no movement had taken place despite a Presidential Decree in this regard.
Menon's initiative
National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon took up the matter before this year's annual meeting between the two leaders and ensured that talks took place in earnest.
“The Russians, for a cost, have agreed to give us precision signals … we will be able to use weapons in a better manner,” said Indian official sources.
The Indian security establishment had set its sights on Glonass after it conducted a post-mortem of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. It found that the U.S. had blocked GPS signals to Iraq and then inserted erroneous signals that left Saddam's generals virtually blind as far as beyond visual range and sighting and targeting was concerned.
“We found that the Iraqi Army got misled and weapons went awry,” said the sources.
The issue of ensuring autonomy and choice in strategic communications found expression in the former Army Chief and Director-General of Military Intelligence, General S. Padmanabhan's post-retirement book The writing on the wall – India Checkmates America 2017.
The General foresaw a situation, which has also been a subject of drawing board war games, in which the U.S. attacked India over Kashmir. Such a scenario is plausible, he said, because of the “propensity of the U.S. to act unilaterally against other countries in disregard of the United Nations.” He advocated need for India to be prepared to meet “aggression by any developed country, including the U.S.A.”
Strategic autonomy
Glonass is still in the making and a pact on the civilian side is still to be arrived at. But India's quest for strategic autonomy in advanced technology would be served with the pact on precision signals from Glonass, said the sources.
Keywords: India-Russia defence ties
Don't worry guys, Indian scientists are already dedicated toward building 'Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System'(≈A mini Version of GPS).
The Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS) is an autonomous regional satellite navigation system being developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO). The IRNSS is supposed to start operations by the end of 2014. The IRNSS will feature a constellation of 7 satellites with an objective of providing access to the Global Navigation Satellite System at the most hostile situations too. The project has been developed with an intention to provide an absolute position accuracy of few meters throughout India and within a region extending approximately 2,000 km outside of India. India also launched 3 new satellites into space to supplement this.
India should think about building its own Glownass.
We can't depend on others indefinitely. We need to be self-reliant.
If India is to become a force to be reckon with, we need to develop things on our own. This means that we must have the necessary technology to build it, which in turn is dependent upon how much we invest in research in science and technology.
Building Self-reliance is the need of the hour and we should strive to achieve it.
"STRATEGIC AUTONOMY"
I totally agree with "AM"'s & "Sivasathivel Kandasamy" post.
how could we be sure that we have autonomy when we are receiving a
service from another country, how could our generals know the signals
from Glonass is not fudged or otherwise inaccurate/lacks precision.
autonomy is achieved when the technology is self developed and
operated, not when it is obtained as a service for a "cost" from
another country, instead, we should develop the technology and provide
it as a service to other nations, generating revenue for the country.
this is one way Rupee will strengthen in value, the more we have to
obtain other countries products and services the less Rupee will be
valued. Have you checked Rupee/$ value lately?
India must develop its own GPS system like US, Russia and China. It is important that India develop cryogenic engines on its own. Indigenous development is better than any foreign technology.
Well once we know glonass and gps inside out than eventually we will figure out how to develop out own. Or unless like china we use reverse technology, right.
What's to stop Russia from fudging the Glasnoss GPS coords (for a sum or some other expedient)? After all they've pulled a Lucy on the Gorshkov, the Smerch, the T-90 documentations and God knows what all else... We are slow learners.
India's quest for AUTONOMY is quite laudable&shows maturity.
However it is equally important that we don't fall from the frying pan into fire either.Self confidence&situational awareness should be the MANTRA for INDIA in its vision as well as mission approach.
Glonass is useful if and only if Russia and US lacks strategic congruence. The
moment, US and Russia has a convergence of strategic interest against India, Glonass
would lose its significance. Though, such a scenario is less probable in the current
world order. The best bet for India to develop its own Global Positioning system,
before the significance of Glonass runs out. This could also be a source of revenue
for India. This is, of course, hoping that our Politicians and the scientists are sincere
in protecting the country...
Please Email the Editor