India Achieves a Major Milestone - Photonic Radar

India has achieved a significant breakthrough in defence technology by developing a Photonic Radar for the first time. This cutting-edge system enhances the country’s ability to detect enemy aerial threats much earlier and with greater clarity.

  • With this achievement, India joins the ranks of a few select nations equipped with such advanced technology.
    • USA, China, Israel are the main frontrunners.
    • India is now joining this rare circle with an indigenous breakthrough in radar warfare tech.

What are Stealth fighter jets?

  • Stealth fighter jets are advanced military aircraft designed to evade detection by enemy radar, infrared sensors, and other tracking systems. They use a combination of shaping, materials, and technology to reduce their visibility across the electromagnetic spectrum.
  • This radar can detect stealth fighter jets—designed to evade traditional radar—and is immune to enemy electronic jamming
  • The Electronics and Radar Development Establishment (LRDE), a DRDO laboratory in Bengaluru, developed this radar system.

What are Photonic Radars?

  • Photonic Radars are a next-generation radar technology that use photonic (light-based) components instead of traditional electronic components to generate, process, and transmit radar signals.
  • This makes them more powerful, precise, and resilient than conventional radars, especially useful in detecting stealth aircraft, hypersonic missiles, and low-RCS (Radar Cross Section)

A Break from Traditional Radar Technology

  • Conventional military radar systems, developed in the 1940s, work on Radio Frequency (RF) waves to detect aerial objects and determine their distance and speed.
  • However, these traditional systems struggle to identify low-flying, slow-moving targets, such as drones and stealth fighter jets.
  • To overcome these limitations, Photonic Radar technology has emerged.
  • Unlike conventional systems that rely on RF waves, photonic radars use light waves (photons)—specifically laser beams and optical fibers—to operate.

How It Works

  • The system converts light into radar signals using lasers and optical fibers.
  • This allows for faster and more accurate detection and performance.
  • Traditional RF radars have limited bandwidth, whereas photonic radars can operate across multiple wavelengths in the spectrum, providing wider bandwidth.

Countries like the USA, China, and Israel are already heavily investing in photonic-based systems.

Key Advantages

  • Capable of scanning multiple targets in 3D with extreme precision and speed.
  • Can detect stealth aircraft, drones, and missiles that conventional radars might miss.
  • Useful not only for attacks but also for early warning and defensive strategies.
  • Resistant to enemy electronic countermeasures like radar jamming.
  • Produces less heat, ensuring more efficient operation.
  • Built around photonic integrated circuits that quickly analyze signals with minimal signal loss.

Upcoming Field Trials

  • DRDO plans to conduct extensive field tests of this radar starting later this year, especially in mountainous and coastal regions.
  • Integration efforts are underway to link it with India’s existing air defence systems like Akash.
  • Can be installed on leading Indian fighter jets such as Sukhoi-30MKI, Rafale, and Tejas.
  • Its compact design allows for deployment on mobile platforms, enabling rapid positioning along sensitive borders with China and Pakistan.

Implications for Pakistan and China

Countries like China and Pakistan have invested heavily in stealth aircraft and drone technologies. China’s J-20 stealth jets and Pakistan’s combat drones are focused on evading traditional radars.

India’s photonic radar could neutralize these tactics by:

  • Enhancing airspace surveillance.
  • Offering early detection of hypersonic weapons.
  • Strengthening aerial threat warning systems.

Prelims Questions:

  1. Which of the following features make stealth fighter jets less detectable by radar?
    1. Angular airframe design
    2. Use of radar-absorbing materials
    3. Internal weapon bays
    4. High infrared emission systems

    2. Select the correct answer using the code below:

    1. 1 and 2 only
    2. 1, 2, and 3 only
    3. 2 and 4 only
    4. 1, 3, and 4 only

    Answer: B) 1, 2, and 3 only

    Explanation: High infrared emissions make detection easier, so they are minimized—not used—in stealth jets.

  2. Photonic radars are considered superior to traditional RF radars in detecting stealth aircraft because they:
    1. Use sound waves instead of electromagnetic waves
    2. Operate on light waves, offering higher bandwidth and precision
    3. Emit higher radio frequencies for deeper penetration
    4. Use gravitational sensors to track movement

    3. Answer: B) Operate on light waves, offering higher bandwidth and precision

    Explanation: Photonic radars use optical technologies like lasers and fibers, offering wider bandwidth and improved stealth detection.

  3. of the following countries are known to be actively developing or possessing Photonic Radar technology?
    1. India
    2. Israel
    3. Brazil
    4. China
    5. United States

Select the correct code:

  1. 1, 2, 3 and 5
  2. 2, 3, 4, and 5
  3. 1, 2, 4, and 5
  4. 1, 3, 4, and 5

Answer: C) 1, 2, 4, and 5

Explanation: Brazil is not currently known for active Photonic Radar development. India, Israel, China, and the U.S. are all engaged in this advanced radar tech.

Mains Question:

  1. Critically analyse how photonic radar technology addresses stealth threats and its implications for India’s strategic air defence. 150 Words. 10 Marks