'India needs hundreds of satellites to intercept hypersonic missiles', warns..., says US planning to create 500...
New Delhi: There was a time when in the modern world when wars were fought between two or more militaries using conventional weapons for both attack and defence. Since the disintegration of the USSR and the end of the Cold War, technology became an integral part of warfare. If we say technology is the lifeline of modern warfare than not many will disagree.
The scenario in the 21st century has given way to new, much advanced, sophisticated, and cutting-edge systems. We can say it has become futuristic as we have observed evolution of fighter jets, missiles, artillery, submarines, and other modes.
In this process, space has emerged as the base or the command centre of many countries' militaries. Space has been flooded with satellites that play key role in modern war theatre.
In this regard, former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman Dr. Sreedhara Panicker Somanath has warned that without a massive satellite boost, India's armed forces risk blind spots in crisis. He described it an unacceptable vulnerability in an era where wars are being fought in the skies through networking and signals.
'The importance of space for defence has been understood very well now. It has been demonstrated very well in some of the recent conflicts. For example, the Ukraine conflict. It has shown it very well how it played a role, and recently in India also,' said Dr Somanath as he cited studies according to which more than 50% of the space-based applications will be in defence. He went on to say that state-funded military programmes will soon dominate the economics of space systems.
Referring to the limited role of human beings in the present day combat, Dr Somanath said, 'Many of the conflicts are not in occupation. You wage cyber warfare. Now, wars are fought to create problems and havoc in countries. There is no occupation of anything. In this context, satellites deliver critical frameworks of communication for secure command and frameworks for observation to track threats in real time.'
Citing example of hypersonic missiles, which are almost impermeable to ground defences, have hastened the need for orbital early warning. Dr Somanath said the USA is working on the idea of creating a 500 satellite constellation for an early warning system and a neutralising system, detecting launches, and guiding counter-measures long before impact.
Dr Somanath warned that India must balance this scale. 'You need hundreds of such satellites. Their period of observations is hardly 15 minutes and the next satellite should come immediately to cover that area,' he said.
Dr Somanath called for night-vision, beyond visible imaging, thermal, radar, multispectral and hyperspectral sensors, each feeding AI-driven analytics to distil massive data into battlefield decisions. Satellites themselves must evolve into both offensive platforms and hardened assets, as you have to protect your own satellites because the satellites are also a war occupant, he observed.
Dr. Somanath served as ISRO chairman from 2022 to 2025. Under his chairmanship, ISRO carried out the lunar exploration mission Chandrayaan-3, making India the first country to successfully land a spacecraft near the lunar south pole.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
In earnings season, it's AI good, everything else, not so much
Businesses focused on artificial intelligence are raking it in so far this earnings season. Those catering to actual people, less AI spending surge is providing a big boost for semiconductor and software giants like Google parent Alphabet , while companies from airlines to restaurants and food manufacturers are struggling to navigate an erratic U.S. trade policy which is boosting costs, upending supply chains and hurting consumer with Alphabet, SK Hynix and India's Infosys exceeded market forecasts on Thursday and predicted brighter days to come, with Alphabet and SK Hynix both flagging plans to boost spending. SK supplies the world's most valuable company Nvidia, the AI chipmaking giant that recently surpassed $4 trillion in market contrast, executives at many consumer names were less enthusiastic, from luxury bellwether LVMH, packaged food giant Nestle , to toymakers Hasbro and Mattel and airlines Southwest and American . They, along with automakers and giants like Coca-Cola, have indicated that some segments of the buying public have pulled in their spending as prices and interest rates remain dichotomy is evident in IBM's results. Sales in Big Blue's "AI book of business" grew 25 percent in its most recent quarter to $7.5 billion, while its software segment fell short of expectations and the company sounded cautious about how much its consulting segment might grow this year. The equity market has accentuated the positive. News that the U.S. had struck a trade deal with Japan and was closing in on a deal with the European Union ahead of an Aug 1. deadline boosted markets. The broad S&P 500 notched another record this week and the Eurostoxx was just a few points shy of that mark."The market is getting friendly with a view that tariffs ending up higher than they have ever been for 100 years will not have a negative impact on economic growth, because we haven't seen any negative impact on economic growth so far," said Van Luu, head of solutions strategy, fixed income and foreign exchange at Russell companies continue to absorb that hit remains to be seen. So far, companies have reported over July 16-22 a combined full-year loss of as much as $7.8 billion, with automotive, aerospace and pharmaceutical sectors hurt the most by tariffs, according to a Reuters tariff tracker. U.S. averages have been buoyed by the so-called Magnificent Seven, a group of tech giants that has benefited heavily from spending plans on artificial intelligence, and currently accounts for more than 30% of the value of the S&P."AI is one of the strongest areas of growth for the economy, and the market mirrors the economy," said Adam Sarhan, chief executive of 50 Park Investments. To be sure, the market's reaction may be in part because a larger-than-normal percentage of companies are clearing a lowered bar for estimates. At the beginning of April, the market expected 10.2% year-over-year S&P earnings growth, but by July, that number had dropped to 5.8%, according to LSEG data. With about 30% of constituents reporting results, the blended earnings growth rate sits at 7.7%.AI-focused businesses continued to print money in the most recent quarter. Nvidia supplier SK Hynix posted record quarterly profit, boosted by demand for artificial intelligence chips and customers stockpiling ahead of potential U.S. tariffs. Indian IT services provider Infosys raised the floor of its annual revenue forecast range to 1% to 3%, from flat to 3%, matching analyst expectations. "The tech community is going ahead full speed ahead... and banks are in a very strong position now," said Bill George, former chairman and CEO of Medtronic and executive education fellow at Harvard Business School. "Other companies will struggle to get growth."Consumer companies have been less upbeat. Nestle, the world's biggest packaged food maker, reported softer demand as it struggled to win thrifty shoppers to its big brands.U.S. airlines Southwest and American Airlines warned that Americans are travelling less, the latest signal that U.S. consumers are remaining cautious about their spending. Toymakers Mattel and Hasbro both said uncertainties around tariffs are acting as a headwind. Carmakers are among firms dealing with the most difficulty. The auto giants are resisting raising prices, eating the cost of tariffs that may cost them millions or billions of dollars. Levies on metals, copper and auto parts made it harder to navigate changing tariff policies. South Korea's Hyundai Motor on Thursday posted a 16% decline in second-quarter operating profit, saying U.S. tariffs cost it 828 billion won ($606.5 million) in the second quarter, with a bigger hit expected in the current quarter. General Motors still expects a $4 billion to $5 billion hit to its bottom line this year. On Wednesday, Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk said U.S. government cuts in support for electric vehicle makers could lead to a "few rough quarters", as his firm reported its worst quarterly sales decline in over a decade.
Economic Times
an hour ago
- Economic Times
In earnings season, it's AI good, everything else, not so much
Businesses focused on artificial intelligence are raking it in so far this earnings season. Those catering to actual people, less so. The AI spending surge is providing a big boost for semiconductor and software giants like Google parent Alphabet , while companies from airlines to restaurants and food manufacturers are struggling to navigate an erratic U.S. trade policy which is boosting costs, upending supply chains and hurting consumer confidence. Along with Alphabet, SK Hynix and India's Infosys exceeded market forecasts on Thursday and predicted brighter days to come, with Alphabet and SK Hynix both flagging plans to boost spending. SK supplies the world's most valuable company Nvidia, the AI chipmaking giant that recently surpassed $4 trillion in market value. By contrast, executives at many consumer names were less enthusiastic, from luxury bellwether LVMH, packaged food giant Nestle, to toymakers Hasbro and Mattel and airlines Southwest and American . They, along with automakers and giants like Coca-Cola, have indicated that some segments of the buying public have pulled in their spending as prices and interest rates remain high. The dichotomy is evident in IBM's results. Sales in Big Blue's "AI book of business" grew 25 percent in its most recent quarter to $7.5 billion, while its software segment fell short of expectations and the company sounded cautious about how much its consulting segment might grow this year. The equity market has accentuated the positive. News that the U.S. had struck a trade deal with Japan and was closing in on a deal with the European Union ahead of an Aug 1. deadline boosted markets. The broad S&P 500 notched another record this week and the Eurostoxx was just a few points shy of that mark. "The market is getting friendly with a view that tariffs ending up higher than they have ever been for 100 years will not have a negative impact on economic growth, because we haven't seen any negative impact on economic growth so far," said Van Luu, head of solutions strategy, fixed income and foreign exchange at Russell Investments. Whether companies continue to absorb that hit remains to be seen. So far, companies have reported over July 16-22 a combined full-year loss of as much as $7.8 billion, with automotive, aerospace and pharmaceutical sectors hurt the most by tariffs, according to a Reuters tariff tracker. U.S. averages have been buoyed by the so-called Magnificent Seven, a group of tech giants that has benefited heavily from spending plans on artificial intelligence, and currently accounts for more than 30% of the value of the S&P. "AI is one of the strongest areas of growth for the economy, and the market mirrors the economy," said Adam Sarhan, chief executive of 50 Park Investments. To be sure, the market's reaction may be in part because a larger-than-normal percentage of companies are clearing a lowered bar for estimates. At the beginning of April, the market expected 10.2% year-over-year S&P earnings growth, but by July, that number had dropped to 5.8%, according to LSEG data. With about 30% of constituents reporting results, the blended earnings growth rate sits at 7.7%. Tech goes full speed ahead AI-focused businesses continued to print money in the most recent quarter. Nvidia supplier SK Hynix posted record quarterly profit, boosted by demand for artificial intelligence chips and customers stockpiling ahead of potential U.S. tariffs. Indian IT services provider Infosys raised the floor of its annual revenue forecast range to 1% to 3%, from flat to 3%, matching analyst expectations. "The tech community is going ahead full speed ahead... and banks are in a very strong position now," said Bill George, former chairman and CEO of Medtronic and executive education fellow at Harvard Business School. "Other companies will struggle to get growth." Uncertain consumer Consumer companies have been less upbeat. Nestle, the world's biggest packaged food maker, reported softer demand as it struggled to win thrifty shoppers to its big brands. U.S. airlines Southwest and American Airlines warned that Americans are travelling less, the latest signal that U.S. consumers are remaining cautious about their spending. Toymakers Mattel and Hasbro both said uncertainties around tariffs are acting as a headwind. Carmakers are among firms dealing with the most difficulty. The auto giants are resisting raising prices, eating the cost of tariffs that may cost them millions or billions of dollars. Levies on metals, copper and auto parts made it harder to navigate changing tariff policies. South Korea's Hyundai Motor on Thursday posted a 16% decline in second-quarter operating profit, saying U.S. tariffs cost it 828 billion won ($606.5 million) in the second quarter, with a bigger hit expected in the current quarter. General Motors still expects a $4 billion to $5 billion hit to its bottom line this year. On Wednesday, Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk said U.S. government cuts in support for electric vehicle makers could lead to a "few rough quarters", as his firm reported its worst quarterly sales decline in over a decade. Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. Can victims of Jane Street scam be compensated by investor protection funds? Did the likes of TCS, Infosys, Wipro let India down in AI race? How India's oil arbitrage has hit the European sanctions wall Apple has a new Indian-American COO. What it needs might be a new CEO. Stock Radar: Tata Chemicals breaks out from 1-month consolidation; time to buy the dip? Power sector companies: Will they be able to outperform? 5 power stocks with an upside potential ranging from 6 to 29% For risk-takers with long-term perspective: 7 mid-cap stocks from different sectors with upside potential of over 26% Multibagger or IBC - Part 16: Regulatory tailwind turns compliance into cash. This auto ancillary could be a winner
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Sloganeering against country is unlawful activity, liable to be treated as seditious: J&K HC
This is a representative AI image (Pic credit: Lexica) SRINAGAR: Inflammatory slogans targeting one's country constitutes unlawful activity liable to be treated as an offence prejudicial to national interest, J&K high court has said while setting aside a sessions court's order dismissing proceedings against two Kashmiri men accused of anti-India sloganeering. The division bench of Justices Sanjeev Kumar and Sanjay Parihar was hearing J&K govt's appeal against a 2021 verdict exonerating Ameer Hamza Shah and Rayees Ahmad Mir of the charge of making an "anti-national speech" after Friday prayers with the "intent to instigate the public against India's sovereignty and advocate separation of J&K from the rest of the country". The judges said the sessions court's order, which contended that "mere sloganeering" doesn't threaten a country's integrity, "suffers from non-application of mind and erroneous application of law". "Thus, on the face of it, is perverse and is, therefore, set aside," states the ruling, pronounced last week and announced Thursday. Ameer and Rayees, residents of Kehnusa in north Kashmir's Bandipora, had been arrested under Section 13 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, based on an FIR registered by J&K Police on March 20, 2015. It took another five years for police to file a chargesheet against them before an additional sessions judge's court. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Premium 3 & 4 BHK ( 1079 - 1829 ) from ₹72.03 Lacs* at Jessore Road Srijan Realty Learn More Undo On Sept 29, 2021, the sessions court dismissed the chargesheet, saying there was "no proof of any law-and-order problem or material to warrant their involvement in an unlawful activity". The division bench noted that the sessions judge invoking Supreme Court's judgment in the Balwant Singh and Others vs State of Punjab case was "uncalled for" since the circumstances were entirely different.
