Battling in the skies

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content, and space was increasingly becoming the ‘ultimate military high ground,’ expected to dominate in the wars of the future.

Indian Army chief Deepak Kapoor holds that India should endeavour to optimise space applications for military purposes. Therefore, the setting up of a tri-service space command is required in the future. Senior army officials point out that with time, India will get sucked into the military race to protect space assets and a military contest in space is inevitable.

With Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) planning to launch dedicated military satellites in the near future, defence scientists are experimenting with high-power laser weapons. However, the operational use of such star wars-like weapons is still several years away.

“India certainly needs an effective utilisation of space for real-time military communications and reconnaissance missions to keep closer tabs on troop movements, missile silos, military installations and airbases of neighbouring countries,” say analysts. This should be followed by other uses of space like missile early-warning, delivery of precision-guided munitions through satellite signals, jamming enemy networks and, of course, anti-satellite missile capabilities.

Without any doubt, space is emerging as an important area for defence applications. It is increasingly being used by armed forces around the world, as space technology enables effective conduct of military operations. Satellite systems are involved in every aspect of an industrialised country’s activity, warfare included. The majority of modern weapon systems, both nuclear and conventional, include space-based components. In particular, the use of space-based resources by the US armed forces to tackle terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan, are seen as case studies for other countries to emulate.

Analysts inform that the Americans seem determined to flood the outer space with weapons. Last April, the US Missile Defense Agency called for the early deployment of space-based missile defence systems—a universal means of hitting either ground or space targets. Predictably, Russia warned the US; the former is behind the US in development and deployment of space-based systems. A total of around 500 American and 100 Russian satellites are currently orbiting the earth. The US military satellite fleet is more than four times the size of Russia’s, and some of the orbiting Russian satellites are inoperable.