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RISAT-2 : A New Era in Defence Surveillance Capability

With the successful launching of its first Radar Imaging Satellite (RISAT-2) into orbit in the early morning of 19 April from the spaceport in Sriharikota, India took a big stride in its defence surveillance capabilities. According to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the performance of the PSLV-C12 launch vehicle was precise and on the dot when it soared majestically into a clear sky and placed RISAT 2 into orbit.  Rightly hailed as a "new year gift" to the country, RISAT-2 is India's first satellite with a synthetic aperture radar (SAR), which possesses 24-hour, all-weather monitoring capability. Unlike the previous remote sensing satellites, RISAT-2, with a lifespan of three years, has a cutting edge capability to keep surveillance of enemy movement, apart from other uses.  

As a defence monitoring asset, RISAT-2 has the capabilities to take images of the Earth through the thickest cloud cover, in rain, and in snowy or foggy conditions during night and day. It can track ships at sea that could pose a military threat. and would also be beneficial in mapping and managing natural disasters, such as floods and landslides. It can also see through camouflage like cloth or foliage used to conceal enemy camps or vehicles. This strategic defence capability means Indian security forces will have greater chance to track terrorist movements along the LoC with Pakistan and spot illegal infiltration from Bangladesh in the east. In addition, with the launch of RISAT-2, conspiracy theorists in many parts of the world have just got a shot in the arm.

With a bid to boost its intelligence acquisition after the 26/11 terror attacks on Mumbai, India has acquired a high-precision spy satellite that will enable it to keep a watch on terror camps, military installations across boundaries, missile sites, and so on. Designed and built by the Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI), this 300kg all-weather spy satellite will help security agencies keep a vigil on the country's borders round-the-clock, especially hostile neighbours and help in anti-infiltration and anti-terrorist operations. RISAT-2 is another Indian attempt to build a case for power balance vis-à-vis China, which has assiduously objected to it. In fact, India has showcased its technological supremacy when it launched Chandrayaan-1 in 2008 at about half the cost of the Chinese Changye mission.

Until now, India concentrated its satellite missions on earth observation programmes that have thus far focused on civilian development usage like agriculture, monsoon and education. However, RISAT-2 gives India a definite edge and places the country squarely in the limited group of nations with the capability to use satellites for passive military use. Since there were frequent terror attacks on the country, India had an urgent need to leverage its space capabilities better for a strong anti-terror capacity. Given the volatile neighbourhood, the launch of RISAT-2  gives India greater diplomatic bargaining capacity, and allows the country to negotiate from a position of strength, aided with greater and more appropriate information.

In the Af-Pak policy of Obama, whereby the US wants India to play a bigger role, India will now have greater independent information to back up its claims and complaints on the ground. Without doubt, RISAT-2 is expected to enhance India's counter-terrorism capabilities and cooperation with the US and others. With the rapid rise of Taliban since the Swat peace deal and the real threat that it poses to the security of India, the launch of RISAT-2 is all the more significant in tracking the expected advancement of fundamentalist terrorist forces into Indian territory.

There is another element to the launch: the increasing cooperation between India and Israel, due the superior defence capability of the latter, especially in surveillance and anti-terror strategies, India launched Israel's own spy satellite Tec SAR on its PSLV rocket recently. Though Iran objected, India went ahead with it, as the Israeli satellite was vital to Indian strategic requirements.

RISAT-2 certainly ends India’s drought of independent monitoring abilities and makes India independent with indigenous radar imaging capabilities in operation. However, this is just the beginning, not the end, as India needs many such satellites over the next couple of years, if it has to compete with other nations like the US, UK, Israel, Germany and China that have more advanced satellites for defence surveillance purposes. In fact, India needs to have a long-term programme on building advanced surveillance systems that could not only match those of other countries, but also help inform the country of hostile developments in its vicinity. . What it needs urgently is a dedicated military satellite programme that will give it a strategic edge while dealing with the scourge of terrorism, infiltration and hostile enemy movement.