Evolution of Indian Control and Reporting System for Future Aerospace Warfare

Abstract

Control and Reporting (C&R) can be defined as the process of controlling fighter aircraft and other weapons associated with the air defense of a country, based on information obtained through radars and other intelligence and surveillance sources. This system of utilizing available information and translating it into actions through executive directions to ensure air defense of the nation can be broadly classified as C&R.

The year is 1912; on a cold evening in Europe, a Turkish soldier shoots down an Italian aircraft during the Italy-Turkish war. Although shooting down an aircraft was an inherent human response to an enemy threat, that soldier could hardly have known that his actions would become part of a concept that would revolutionize military affairs worldwide. This concept was air defense.

Soon, the importance of denying the enemy access to the air domain became evident, and the battle to dominate the airspace began. It was only a matter of time before militaries everywhere would start contesting for dominance in the space domain, extending warfare from the air to space.