UAVs in the Indian Navy

At the turn of the new millennium, Indian Naval Aviation took a major step towards the future with the induction of unmanned aircraft into maritime operations. Two types of Israeli Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) were procured, the IAI Malat Searcher Mk.II and the larger and more capable Heron, serving as sensor platforms to undertake a wide range of tasks including maritime surveillance, search and track, over-the-horizon targeting, SAR assistance and others.

Initial training of operators and maintainers was imparted at IAI Malat’s facilities in Israel, where 16 Internal Pilots, 11 Observers, 8 External Pilots, 6 Technical Officers and 75 technical and non- technical sailors attended theory classes back in 2002. An Intensive Flying and Trials Unit (IFTU) was then established on 31 August 2002 at INS Garuda, tasked with aircraft acceptance,

operator and technical crew training, evaluation and trials of aircraft and sensors, formulation of doctrines, operating and maintenance procedures. Flying training commenced in January 2003, initially with OEM support. Israeli personnel began withdrawing gradually as unit personnel began gaining expertise.

Routine and training flying gave way to operational exploitation and the unit started regularly participating in exercises off both coasts from ships and from various military and non- military airfields. Training of technical officers and sailors was also taken up by the OJT cell to pass on the freshly acquired expertise to successive generations of maintainers.

On 6 January 2006, Admiral Arun Prakash, then Chief of Naval Staff, formally commissioned IFTU as an operational squadron, INAS 342, with Cdr Rajesh Kawatra assuming command. The unit was christened ‘Flying Sentinels’ and was the first of three IN UAV squadrons that would be commissioned in the following decade. The next unit was INAS 343 ‘Frontier Formidables,’ raised on 17 January 2011 at Porbandar in Gujarat, followed by INAS 344 ‘Spirited Shadowers’ on 11 April 2012 at INS Parundu in Tamil Nadu.

Since their induction, a series of upgrades have been executed, most important being Automatic Take-Off and Landing (ATOL) capability for both the Searcher and Heron. Enabled by ultra-precise Differential GPS (DGPS) and a backup airfield laser landing system, ATOL functionality obviated need for a dedicated External Pilot to launch and recover the aircraft, thereby streamlining training and squadron staffing. Typical Heron mission crews today comprise two pilots, an observer dedicated to manning the optical and radar displays, and a sailor monitoring the COMINT and ELINT

payloads. Crews rotate every four hours, normally requiring between two and three sets of crew per mission, although the Navy has flown some missions longer than 16 hours when necessary.

The Navy’s UAV squadrons have majorly contributed to Maritime Domain Awareness ( MDA) in the IN’s area of responsibility, in some cases flying more hours in a year than their manned counterparts. The UAVs are limited only by inclement weather, with rainwater ingress a serious concern. At stations like Porbandar, for example, where manned flying is limited by the operating hours of the civilian ATC, the Dornier 228s of INAS 310 ‘ Cobras’ usually fly during daylight hours when ATC is active, while the Herons and Searchers of INAS 343 maintain surveillance for the remainder of the day. Since the UAVs, Herons in particular, are equipped with virtually the same sensors as the Navy’s Dornier 228s, the quality and nature of reconnaissance data generated is much the same, allowing for nearly seamless handoffs between manned and unmanned missions.

The UAVs are typically controlled from a Ground Control Station at the home airfield, the same station functioning as a pilot/observer training aid when not in operational use. The directional datalink is limited only by line of sight, and can operate even if there are clouds or other weather phenomena between the aircraft and ground station. As a backup, all UAVs have automatic provisions that allow them to autonomously return to base in the event of a failure of any of the onboard flight critical systems or the datalink. In addition, the operating range of the UAVs can be extended by using a specially configured sister aircraft as an Airborne Aata Relay (ADR), adding up to 85 nautical miles of reach. UAV control can also be handed off to ships at sea, provided they are suitably manned and equipped either with a containerised Advanced Ship Control Station ( ASCS) or have an Integrated Ship Control Station (ISCS) built in. At present few IN ships are thus equipped, but as shore-based UAVs integrate more closely with the fleet, ship control is likely to become more common. Ship based control, with higher transmit and receive performance than ADR-configured UAVs, essentially doubles the range of the shorebased platforms.

Planned upgrades to the entire Indian military UAV fleet will further enhance the utility of the unmanned platforms in service with the Navy, bringing Automatic Identification System (AIS) for improved maritime awareness, Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), and SATCOM datalink for true long range operations.

Training & Maintenance

With unmanned operations in the Indian Navy now approaching 20 years, maintenance activities are well understood and streamlined, principally carried out by the Navy, with involvement of the platform OEM, as well as local partners such as HAL and BEL. First Line maintenance is conducted at the squadron level by Naval personnel, while subsequent scheduled and unscheduled servicing is carried out by the OEM or local partners, such as HAL and BEL, which are nominated to carry out a great deal of structural, mechanical and electronics upkeep. Engine overhauls and MOSP maintenance and repair are now all completed in-country by HAL, for instance. In general, the UAVs are described by the Navy as relatively easy to keep serviceable, which is reflected in their annual flying hour totals, some units crossing 1,000 hours per year.

Similarly, operator training has been straightforward, with each squadron being equipped with simulators for flying and payload training. Personnel selected for flying or sensor operation attend a combined tri- service Technical Type Training (TETTRA) course conducted by the Indian Air Force before being assigned to their respective squadrons. Once with the squadron, operational training begins. Pilots train for approximately 6 months, carrying out intensive simulator flying as well as about 15 hours piloting the actual aircraft. Unlike other observers in Naval Aviation, UAV payload operators do not attend the Observer School at INS Garuda, their training being conducted entirely at the squadron level. Sensor operators have a similar mix of synthetic and actual in-flight training as UAV pilots, but their syllabus is typically completed in 4- 5 months, involving fewer total hours in simulators and flying. Once pilots and sensor operators are deemed fit for purpose, they are included in the regular flying operations of the squadron.