Vayulink System
26-08-2023
12:03 PM
1 min read
What’s in today’s article?
- Why in News?
- About Vayulink System
- Need for Vayulink System
- Has the Vayulink System been Integrated into the Armed Forces?
- About NavIC
- Benefits of NavIC
- Other Navigation Systems
Why in News?
- The Indian armed forces are in the process of inducting a homegrown innovation along the country’s northern and eastern borders which will help commanders identify friendly forces in a joint battlespace.
About Vayulink System
- Vayulink is a data link communication system developed by the Indian Air Force (IAF).
- The Vayulink system was showcased by the IAF at the Aero India 2023 show in Bengaluru recently.
- It uses the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), also known as NAVIC, to send radio communication to the base station when the signals are low.
- The important aspect of the Vayulink system is that it prevents fratricide or friendly fire.
- When installed in an aircraft, the system gives position of other aircrafts close by, encrypts traffic data over secured channel.
- When the planes are flying close to any friendly forces on grounds during a combat situation, the aircraft display gives the position of such forces on the ground including tanks and troops beneath.
- The Vayulink system also prevents aircraft collision, provides better combat teaming and helps plan real-time basis where multiple teams can get together and go towards the target coming from different areas.
- The Vayulink system can also arm the pilot with real-time weather details before flying, thereby preventing accidents.
- It would help pilots with jammer-proof uninterrupted communication with the base station.
Need for Vayulink System
- After the Balakot air strikes in 2019, the IAF had shot down its Mi-17 V5 helicopter at Budgam by mistake, killing six personnel on board.
- The helicopter’s IFF (Identification of Friend or Foe) system was also switched off, which had led to gaps in communication between the helicopter crew and the ground forces.
- Also, the IFF can only be applicable to an aircraft and requires radars to function.
- On the other hand, Vayulink system can be carried by an aircraft, individual troops or armoured vehicles on ground.
Has the Vayulink System been Integrated into the Armed Forces?
- The Vayulink system can have a range of applications and is not confined to one service, but can integrate all combat entities through a single link.
- The IAF has already deployed the system on a trial basis at forward locations in the Western and Northern sectors.
- It has also been inducted into the Indian Army under the name Trishul link.
About NavIC
Image Caption: NavIC
- NavIC, or Navigation with Indian Constellation, is also called the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS).
- It is an independent stand-alone navigation satellite system which comprises of 7 satellites.
- It is developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
- NavIC was approved in 2006 at a cost of USD 174 million.
- It was expected to be completed by late 2011, but only became operational in 2018.
- NavIC consists of eight satellites and covers the whole of India’s landmass and up to 1,500 km from its boundaries.
Benefits of NavIC
- Currently, NavIC is being used in –
- Public vehicle tracking in India,
- For providing emergency warning alerts to fishermen venturing into the deep sea where there is no terrestrial network connectivity, and
- For tracking and providing information related to natural disasters.
- Enabling it in smartphones is the next step India is pushing for.
Other Navigation Systems
- The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based navigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force.
- The main difference between GPS and NavIC is the serviceable area covered by these systems.
- GPS caters to users across the globe and its satellites circle the earth twice a day, while NavIC is currently for use in India and adjacent areas.
- Like GPS, there are four more navigation systems that have global coverage –
- Galileo from the European Union,
- QZSS by Japan,
- Russia-owned GLONASS and
- Beidou from China.
Q1) When was ISRO established and by whom?
ISRO was previously the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR), set up by the Government of India in 1962, as envisioned by Dr. Vikram Sarabhai. ISRO was formed on August 15, 1969 and superseded INCOSPAR with an expanded role to harness space technology.
Q2) What is a communication satellite in simple terms?
A communications satellite is an artificial satellite that relays and amplifies radio telecommunication signals via a transponder; it creates a communication channel between a source transmitter and a receiver at different locations on Earth.
Source: IAF inducting in-house system to identify friendly forces in combat | ToI