India’s premier defence research agency, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is all set to stun spectators in the forthcoming Republic Day Parade on January 26, 2022.

DRDO’s tableau will feature cutting-edge technology of indigenously developed Sensors, Weapons and Electronic Warfare Systems for Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) TEJAS.

Made-in-India Military Warfare Systems On Display

The tableau by DRDO will display an indigenously-developed Advanced Electronically Scanned Array Radar called ‘Uttam’ along with five different aerial launched weapons and an Electronic Warfare (EW) Jammer, which aims to ramp up the capabilities of made-in-India fourth-generation LCA (Light Combat Aircraft) TEJAS.

Developed by Bangalore-based electronics laboratory LRDE, ‘Uttam’ radar is a highly compact and modular state-of-the-art sensor, which aims to provide situational awareness to the pilot sitting in an aircraft. Uttam is an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar that is capable of tracking targets and taking hi-resolution pictures required for reconnaissance missions.

Interacting with media last month, Project director of Electronics and Radar Development Establishment (LRDE), D Seshagiri confirmed that the developed AESA radar is 95% indigenous, with only one imported subsystem.

It has the capacity to track 50 targets in the sky at a range in excess of 100km and engage four of them simultaneously, he added.

Notably, in the next five years, all 83 of IAF’s TEJAS MK-1A fighters will have Uttam radar, as will the future twin-engine AMCA fighter developed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA).

With the use of AESA radars, India will enter the list of the selected group of nations that have an indigenous force-multiplier, which is extremely important for electronic warfare, long-range missiles, and precision-guided ammunition.

Deciphering TEJAS

TEJAS is a single-engine, highly agile multi-role supersonic fighter aircraft, which is designed and developed by India’s aerospace company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The fighter jet has a quadruplex digital fly-by-wire Flight Control System (FCS) along with associated advanced flight control laws.

The aircraft’s delta wing is designed for ‘air combat’ and ‘offensive air support’ with ‘reconnaissance’ and ‘anti-ship’ as its secondary roles, which allows the aircraft to operate in the high-threat air environment.

Further, extensive use of advanced composites in the airframe provides a high strength to weight ratio, long fatigue life, and low radar signatures to the aircraft.