The convergence of Earth Observation, PNT, and Satellite Communication are uncovering the critical role of technologies in tactical decision-making on the battlefield.
Satellites are providing a comprehensive understanding of how precision and deep battles are orchestrated through cutting-edge C5I2STAR2 strategies.
The first day of DefSat 2024 held a session for discussing the C5I2STAR2-Space enabled Precision and deep battles that consisted of esteemed panellists and experts from the Indian Army and Industry.
Defining the use cases and limitation of satellite data for military purposes, Dr Rituraj Kumar, Director, CAIR, DRDO said, “There is a trade-off between spatial, spectral and temporal resolution. You cannot maximise all three of these simultaneously and get optimum results. So there is a dependence with respect to data that is relevant for military at the practical and strategic level.” “Therefore, the appropriate spectral spatial and temporal data has to be captured from a space based asset,” he added.
Anurag then explained the drawbacks of machine learning and deep learning when using satellite data. He discussed the modern day camouflage attacks on satellite data emphasising that there is no mechanism yet that can be camouflaged across every possible spectrum. “Therefore hyperpectral is essential requirement in order to detect that camouflage on deep learning,” he noted.
He also discussed the problem with limiatation of real-world natural data for some satellite deep learning application. With an example, Anurag Dr Rituraj explained that Anti-satellite systems would need synthetic data that are cultivated with optimum accuracy. Focusing on Positioning, Timing, and Navigation (PNT), Col Amandeep Singh, Specialist, Indian Army said, “There is something beyond an ultimate weapon that is called ultimate position.”
“Space is considered as the final frontier for the mankind and the ultimate high-ground for the war-fighters. Space as a domain for the next gen warfare has gained substantial prominence in the last two decade.”
Moreover, he emphasised the importance of space saying that it has become an indispensable part of our daily lives and beyond the conventional setups of land, sea, and air operations. “It has created another dimension which cannot be missed out by any kind of military activity,” Amandeep said.
PNT, Remote Sensing, Early Warning, Cyber operation, threat capability, post-strike battle assessments, coverage of denied areas are some of the military areas which gives us the incentive to give due weightage for space segment in the military operations, according to Amandeep.
Mr Anurag Garg, Head of Strategy – India, Thales said, “As battles get more complex, asymmetry increases due to cyberspace or unmanned weapons, making space data more and more complex as we go forward. But the science is not in making complex things more complex.
Real science is to make complex things simpler on the battlefield so that actionable insights can be provided in the simplest form at the simplest device.
Prof Brejesh Lall, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, “In the age of AI ML, data is very important both from the perspective from training the machine and keeping it secure and keep critical data safe.” “It is very important to have a standardised method of collecting and storing data unless one does this it is very difficult to have a vibrant dataset that can develop solutions at a fast rate,” he added.
