Tata Power showcases indigenous defense capabilities

Tata Power’s Strategic Electronics Division (Tata Power SED) India’s leading private sector player in the indigenous design, development, manufacture, supply and life cycle support of Defense systems and a large scale System Integrator for strategic programs such as the Pinaka MBRL System, Launchers for the Akash Missiles, Army Electronic Warfare Program and Command & Control Systems for Air Defense and Naval Combat has been contributing to nation’s critical programs since 1975. Today, it has over 300 engineers at its Mumbai Defense R&D facility and has invested over Rs. 100 Crore in Capex in state-of-the-art Integrated Design to Manufacturing Facility in Bangalore.

Rahul Chaudhry, Chief Executive Officer of Tata Power SED, noted “For four decades Tata Power SED has augmented indigenous Defence capabilities and consciously kept foreign content in Systems supplied by us to less than 25% (limited to component imports). Systems Integration & Engineering skills of our workforce, partnership with the DRDO, CDAC & Academia allows us to create world class Capabilities, Product and Systems for Defense.”

Critical competencies on display during DefExpo 2010 are:

1. Four levels of Data Fusion – Data Fusion is a key component of NCO (Network Centric Operations) in Modern Warfare. Tata Power SED has developed a multi-purpose Data Fusion engine that will serve as a Core Processing Element for applications in the domains of Air Defense, Battlefield Management System, Electronic Warfare and Naval Combat Systems.

2. Electronic Warfare (EW) Systems and Lightweight GIS – In 1998, Tata Power SED was designated a gazetted Work Center for the Army’s EW program Samyukta and contributed with the Control Center hardware, software and Integration. The constant thrust on capability building has encouraged Tata Power SED to create indigenous applications and software that not only obviates the need for sharing of confidential EW doctrines of the Indian Army with foreigners but also enhances the efficacy of systems in the Tactical Environment. Two of such applications are Lightweight GIS and a Voice Recognition System.

3. Secure Rugged Computing Platforms – Tata Power SED has developed an in-house Rugged Tactical Field Computer (TFC) and Ultra Mobile Rugged Computer (UMRC). As we move into the era of digital warfare, it is the computing devices which hold the key. Any computing device which is a ‘black box’ to the Indian Armed forces is detrimental and fraught with risk of ‘kill switch’. The TFC has been successfully integrated with the Secure Operating System developed by CAIR – Center for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, to offer Secure Rugged Computing Platforms for use with Government of India’s for Secure & Sensitive applications.

4. Ballistics – Two years ago, Tata Power SED was tasked with the challenge of developing an Indigenous Ballistics solution for T90 Tanks by the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB). Once proven, Tata Power SED’s indigenously developed Ballistic Computer will be used in all T-90 tanks manufactured in India. The efficacy of our Air Defense Artillery Ballistics capability was successfully demonstrated to the Indian Army during the Field Trials conducted for the upgraded Air Defense Gun.

5. Tactical Battlefield & Edge-of-Battlefield Communication Systems – Tata Power SED has decades of experience in integrating communications with Weapon Systems (Pinaka, Akash) and Sensors (UAV). As a result of its Data Fusion and EW experience, Tata Power SED has a unique first-hand understanding of critical issues involved in Tactical Battle Area Communications, which has manifested in their “all-IP” based Edge of Battlefield Communications hardware including EPBX, Router, Terrestrial Trunked Radio (with CDAC) and Digital Control Harness (Communication harness in a tank/armored vehicles). All these indigenously developed solutions minimize the possibility of a system malware.