Surveillance Technology Boost: India Masters The Skies

Surveillance Technology Boost: India Masters The Skies

India has now achieved complete technology for advanced airspace surveillance following operationalisation of the 21 stations for aircraft surveillance from the Himalayas to the high seas. The sophisticated level of automatic dependent surveillance broadcast ADS-B infrastructure is perfect for complete coverage of over 3 million square kilometers.

This also includes the Bay of Bengal, the Himalayas and the Arabian Sea. This enables increased efficiency and safety in areas where there has so far been restriction of radar coverage. The ADB-S was installed at the 21 sites in dual phases by the AAI and German firm COMSOFT. The aim is to provide products for innovation in surveillance and communication solutions such as ADS-B. Advanced multi-lateration sensors have also been developed.

COMSOFT's Quandrant ADS-B sensor which is installed is now lightweight and it is also very reasonably priced. It is a wonderful alternative to the conventional radar. A conventional radar does not have the capacity to complete air situation picture from the airport surface to beyond 250 nautical miles.

With AirAsia India all set to be India's 7th airline in the domestic aviation sector and new entrants likely as the aviation sector expands, there has been a massive increase in the number of international and national flights in the Indian airspace. Accuracy was paramount for assisting rise in capacity, according to AAI and this is possibly the reason that drives the advanced surveillance India has acquired.

Such surveillance can also provide important information for the armed forces and intelligence officials. Another USP of the surveillance is that it can reveal the truth about aviation mysteries such as MH370. With no traces of the airplane and 2 authors set to release a book about the events that led to the plane's disappearance, it becomes even more important to guard the airspace and ensure that there is surveillance so that aviation mysteries such as MH370 remain in the past.

Indian traffic controllers will also gain more expertise in handling take-off procedures especially for high-altitude traffic such as the non-radar spaces in the Bay of Bengal. India's vast and massive airspace would also gain a lot of security from long range surveillance to supplement radar coverage which is limited by terrain and obstacles.

AAI has also established crucial air navigation links with Nepal for exchange of real time data on aviation affairs. The link known as AMHS (Air Traffic Service Message Handling System)was operationalised between Mumbai and Kathmandu on the 2nd of June by the AAI Air Navigation Services. In Asia, the AMHS links had been limited to Hong Kong-Macau and Singapore-India. So there are many new developments in the field of airspace surveillance as India gears up for a new era where it masters the skies.

Using technology to avert disasters is the closest mankind can come to being God. It is amazing to see the power and advancement of technology for making lives simpler and saving humanity.