Kargil: Activating Air Reconnaisance
25 Jun, 1999 · 212
Wg.Cdr. N. K. Pant (Retd.) says it is likely that our ground forces woke up to the necessity of air observation only after the large scale military intrusions came to light. By the time the air surveillance machinery had swung into action, the intruding forces had wrested the initiative
Had the air reconnoitering of the Kargil sector of LoC been carried out effectively during the preceding winter and the inputs obtained acted upon, the subsequent need to evict heavily armed Pakistani intruders from our territory could have been avoided. It is likely that our ground forces woke up to the necessity of air observation only after the large scale military intrusions came to light. By the time the air surveillance machinery had swung into action, the intruding forces had wrested the initiative.
Pakistan
army's designs.
Canberra
aircraft since mid 1950s. It is still using Canberras in the photo recce role. In fact, one of the Canberras was reportedly hit by enemy fire while on an aerial survey task over the area of intrusion. This proves the point that recce aircraft were pressed into service only after the Pakistani intrusions came to notice. Similarly, the IAF started using the MiG-25R high performance reconnaissance planes for studying the terrain after hostile elements had surreptitiously moved in. The MiG-25R is capable of flying at 80,000 feet and is believed to be equipped with five camera windows, Doppler navigation system and side looking airborne radar. If these aircrafts can take aerial photographs of militants' training camps in PoK they could have certainly been used to ascertain the presence of enemy camps in the Kargil sector.
Israel
and evinced keen interest in the Searcher-2 UAV system. The UAVs are extremely useful for cross border surveillance. Their onboard cameras, night vision, infra red devices and other sophisticated sensors enable them to relay valuable intelligence on hostile troop activity to defender's ground positions. Another role for these remotely piloted planes is target acquisition for directing artillery fire.
Pakistan
's northern areas across the LoC.
Modern day air reconnaissance is obtained through satellites, aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs.) The Indian Army had access to these three means of reconnaissance in addition to several ground based listening posts for intercepting messages between the various formations involved in the armed intrusion. The utilization of these means could have forewarned the military brass about the
In fact, the subsequent release of satellite imagery to Indian newspaper showing enemy camps on our side of the LoC indicated that a number of Indian remote sensing (IRS) satellite orbiting the earth have military applications. Starting with a resolution of one kilometers two decades ago, Indian satellites are capable today of 5.8 meter resolution. The recently launched IRS-P4 called Oceansat carries several sensors designed to study the marine environment besides land applications. One wonders why this technological prowess was not used by our forces to monitor Pakistani troop movements in the Kargil-Drass Batalik.
Moreover, the IAF has been operating a reconnaissance version of
Another valuable asset with the armed forces for carrying out reconnaissance is the UAV. In fact General VP Malik, after assuming the office of Chief of the Army Staff, had paid a visit to
In the aftermath of the Pakistani armed intrusions the Indian army is reportedly toying with the idea of installing unattended ground sensors, short range battlefield surveillance radar's and hand held thermal imager along the LoC. There is no doubt that these sophisticated systems would give army units deployed in the mountainous region the capability to get advance warning of infiltration. But it is beyond the comprehension of the common citizen why the armed forces failed to detect the enormous movement of trained armed men and material from
The active snooping from the air and space was activated in the first half of May when the wake up call had been sounded by Pakistani regulars, and their Islamic mercenaries were entrenched on Indian soil. This information has certainly helped the army to obliterate the enemy from several posts. But at what cost? Our military operational preparedness has suffered for want of timely information and this will haunt us for a long time to come.
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