CDS inaugurates DEFSAT 2024, a three-day Space Seminar & Exhibition in New Delhi
Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan announced on Wednesday that the Indian armed forces plan to invest Rs25,000 crore to fulfil their defence space needs. These funds will cover various initiatives, including constructing a constellation of surveillance satellites and enhancing secure communications networks. Speaking at the DefSatConference and Expo hosted by SIA-India, Gen Chauhan encouraged the private space sector in India to seize this opportunity and contribute to making the country self-reliant in the dual-use burgeoning industry.
Dwelling on the armed forces’ needs, he called upon the industry to collaborate in enhancing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities. It involves developing multi-sensor satellites, launching on-demand services, and establishing a resilient network of ground stations. Gen Chauhan emphasised the necessity of strengthening the NAVIC constellation to develop indigenous positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services.
“Indian armed forces cannot remain dependent on foreign constellations for its PNT requirements. PNT services for navigation, synchronisation, as well as long-range engagement will require building a secure, reliable and resilient Navic constellation,” he said.
He said high-speed, secure, satellite-assisted communication was another area of growth. “Investment towards satellite internet openings, satellites enabling the 5G ecosystem, high throughput satellite and LEO satellites need to be undertaken to provide a reliant and resilient coverage,” Gen Chauhan said.
“To execute our future requirements, if I make a rough estimate, our outlay in the coming few years would be more than Rs 25,000 crore. It is the right time for the private industry to utilise this opportunity. This period may be the Amritkaal for the private space industry. I think it is time to build a highly capable Atmanirbhar Defence Space ecosystem,” Gen Chauhan said.
He highlighted that while launch capabilities form the fundamental building blocks, investments should also be directed towards launch-on-demand capabilities in the future.
Ravi Shankar
