Army To Have Its Own Satellite Worth Rs 3,000 Cr By 2026

The defence ministry signed a Rs 3,000 crore contract with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), on Wednesday for an advanced communication satellite, GSAT 7B, for the army to fulfil a long-standing need, officials familiar with the matter said.

Unlike the Indian Air Force and Navy, the army does not presently have a dedicated satellite.

“The satellite will significantly improve the army's communication capability by providing mission-critical beyond line-of-sight communication to troops and formations, as well as weapon and airborne platforms,” the defence ministry stated.

ISRO will build the five-tonne geostationary satellite on its own. According to authorities, the army will most likely receive the satellite in 2026.

According to officials, the satellite with advanced security features will support the tactical communication needs of not only soldiers on the ground, but also remotely piloted aircraft, air defence weapons, and other mission-critical and fire support platforms.

"The dedicated satellite for the army has long been a need, and it will improve the army's network-centric warfare capabilities, making them more secure and jam-proof." "The army had previously relied on the air force's GSAT-7A satellite," said Air Marshal Anil Chopra (retd), director general of the Centre for Air Power Studies.

According to the earlier media report, the army conducted a thorough study of cyber and electromagnetic warfare in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and established the efficacy of a dependable satellite communication system capable of providing high-speed internet services to remote areas.

The army's proposal for a GSAT-7B satellite in March 2022 was approved by India's defence acquisition council (DAC), the government's highest weapons procurement authority. ISRO's GSAT-7 series of advanced satellites are intended to provide users with communication skills across vast distances, including oceans.

Many satellite parts, sub-assemblies, and systems will be sourced from indigenous manufacturers, including micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and start-ups, according to the ministry, which added that the project will employ around 300,000 people over the next three and a half years.

The ministry also signed two other contracts worth approximately Rs 2,400 crore with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) to improve the armed forces' air defence capacities.

The first of these, worth Rs 1,982 crore, is to implement Project Akashteer, an automated air defence control and reporting system that will enable the army's air defence forces to work together.

According to the defence ministry, Akashteer will allow the Indian Army to monitor low-level airspace over battle areas and efficiently manage ground-based air defence weapon systems.

The second contract with BEL is for Sarang electronic support measure systems for Indian Navy helicopters valued at Rs 412 crore.

Because they fall under the most significant category of acquisition for indigenisation under the defence procurement policy, or the Indian-IDDM category, all three projects will help the self-reliance campaign. IDDM is an acronym that means indigenously designed, developed, and manufactured.