Item #2: Dr. Revankar's talk:
Advanced Airborne EW Systems - The Indian Scenario- Dr. UK Revankar, Director, DARE
DARE Mandate
- Warner systems - EO and EM
- Self Protection Jammers (SPJs)
- EO based Electronic Attack (EA) systems
- System Upgrades
- EW Architecture.
The talk had to be cut short due to paucity of time. Additionally, due to excess of info, I wasnt able to take complete notes. Please forgive me for that.
A brief history of DARE was shown - I have recreated the slide and uploaded it below. Plz check it out:

Now, The 1st Generation of warners developed in 1986 were podded. By 1991, internal warners and jammers were developed. These SPJs have been accepted and are in service in teh IAF (2 sqns)
Warners:1st Gen RWR- Podded
- 15 deg accuracy
- Used for Mig-21s
2nd Gen RWRs- Internal
- Based on DIFM
- Mig-27s
- Had frequency measurement capability.
3rd gen RWRs- 2000
- LRU based - easy to maintain
- Video DLV
- Sensor Fusion
- Can display on LCD screen.
Current Warners have the following capabilities:
- Multioctave - 1-18 GHz
- 360 deg azimuth coverage
- Good Direction finding (10 deg rms)
- High sensitivity - 300 km
- Can detect and identify all radars and types
- Provides audio warning - can also support video display of information
- Can also cue active and passive EA systems
Current warners include: (section is missing data)
Tarang:- 2-18 GHz
- 10 deg DF accuracy
- -55 dBm sensitivity
Tarang Mk1B:- 2-18 GHz
- Slightly higher DF accuracy (I didnt have time to take the number)
- -65 dBm sensitivity
R118: 1-18 GHz
SIVA:- HADF
- Slaved to R118
- 1-18 GHz
Unified RWR and ESM:- Currently developing
- 0.5 - 40 GHz
- <1 deg DF accuracy (I dont remember exactly)
- <-65 dBm
- For the AEW&CS
Laser Warning Reciever (LWR): will integrate an LRF and LTD also.
Self Protection Jammers:This section had to be skipped quickly, but I got the below info on our SPJ development:
- Autonomous Receiver
- Multi-octave
- High ERP
- Has a rudimentary ECM - using FML (Frequency Memory Loops)
- CMDs display - can be cued to EA systems
Electro-Optics Developments:EO based Electronic Attack Systems under development are:
- IR Countermeasures (IRCM)
- Directed Energy IRCMs (DIRCMs)
IRCM:- For Helicopters
- Effective against IR missiles, except those in Band II (3-6 um)
(Note: um = micrometre)
For those interested in our Laser weapons, the DIRCM will interest you:
DIRCM:
- JV with Israel (IAI)
- Will destroy enemy IR sensors on aircraft and missiles using a High Intensity IR laser Beam
- The beam will be lamp based and/or laser based systems - this is being worked on with IAI.
- The DIRCM will be highly advanced, and will be effective even against IIR seekers
- It is currently under development. LASTEC is also involved - (I spoke to a LASTEC scientist at the stall, but it is all hush-hush - I heard more no comments from then than i did from everyone else).
- Should probably be ready within 3-4 years, if things go well.
Passive Countermeasures such as Chaff and Flare are also developed by DARE.
MAWS:Coming to Missile Warners, DARE is developed MAWS for aircarft..
- Electro-optics based - IR plume based detection
- 360 degree coverage
- Can cue the EA system
-
2 ROUNDS OF FLIGHT TRIALS HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED.The MAWS being developed are plume based detectors of two types
1. UV (Solar Blind) detectors
- operate at 0.25 - 0.28 um
- This Filters out the solar clutter
- The detection is achieved by detecting the UV rays from the missile's rocket propellants.
- UV MAWS has been tested on the Hack aircraft (the same one the MMR was being tested on - apparently, it has become a nice flying test bed for many systems)
2. IR based detectors:
- These have longer range than the UV detectors, but are prone to more clutter.
- DARE is working on dual color IR MAWS - operating from 3-5 um.
- This allows it to differentiate between the solar flares (1-2 um) and missile plumes (4-5 um)
UPGRADESApart from the normal upgrades, DARE is also developing sensor fused EW systems.
Multi Sensor Warning System (MSWS):- It will combine the RWR, UV MAWS and LWR data
- integration occurs using a signal processor, and the info is displayed in teh cockpit MFDs or appropriate pilot displays.
- The response and data is sent to a control module which is integrated with the various EA systems.
- The CM then controls the EA systems like DIRCM, EA and Chaff/Flares.
- Currently being tested - seperate modules have undergone flight tests or are in service already.
Unified EW System (UEWS)This is the latest system being developed, nd will integrate ALL EW systems and use the combined data to mount a concentrated attack on enemy aircrafts, which will result in far better lethality....
The various EW inputs such as RWR, Up-down Antenna, HADF, etc are combined in a Unified Receiver Exciter Processor (UREP - note... my abbreviation, not official)
UREP- based around a central 1.28 Ghz processor
- It is a single box
- 1-18 Ghz
- Sampled Digital Receiver, DRFM
- MMIC based implementation
- Has been indigenously developed.
The UREP outpur is sent to the Jammer which controls the various SPJs, EAs, etc.
Unified RWR and ESMThis is being made for the AEW&CS.It will combine the RWR and ESM. RWR and ESM both opperate from 0.5 to 40 GHz.
RWR uses an Amplifier based DF with <1 deg DF accuracy.
ESM:
- 4 Channel SHR,
- DTOA & (Something here I wasn't able to take down)
- Mini IF Bandwidth 500 MHz
{{Someone needs to decode these}}
Technology Developed /Leveraged:1. DRFMs
- based on 250 nm Si technology
- Operate at 1 Ghz +/- 250 MHz
- 6 bit, 8 channels
2. HADF -<1 deg RMS DF
3. Microwave Power modules
- For high power, Continuous wave (CW) operation
- Will definitely help also in teh Directed energy weapons
4. MMICs, Super Components
- Right now, we have developed and have expertise with somewhat larger size MMIC manufacture (deep sub micron - 150-250 nm level). However, we will need even smaller tech to make radars and other components effectively.
- Multi-octave operation has been successfully achieved & applied
5. Digital Receivers:
- Monobit 4 GHz
- Multibit 8 bit receivers operating at 1 GHz and 4 GHz achieved.
Qns???