There is an urgent need to accelerate the development and fielding of the Battlefield Management System (BMS) as part of essential capability building of the Indian Army

Future military operations will be combined and joint, comprising all arms and inter-service elements. These operations will require units and sub-units of other arms to operate subordinated or in cooperation with each other. Also, successful execution of fast moving operations will require an accelerated decision-action cycle and an ability to conduct operations simultaneously within an all arms group. The key to success will lie in effective command and control across the force. Therefore, commanders at all levels, more so at the cutting edge level require pertinent information in order to enhance their decision making and command capability. Harnessing information technology here will act as a force multiplier to enhance operational effectiveness of commanders and troops at all levels by enabling exchange, filtering and processing of ever increasing amounts of digital information currently available but not integrated.

Capability void

As of today, the Indian Army (IA) lacks an integration tool supporting every level of military users ranging from individual soldier to Battalion Group/Combat Group Commander in the Tactical Battle Area (TBA), which can provide in near real time an appropriate, common and comprehensive tactical picture by integration of inputs from all elements of the battle group. Requirements at these levels are of battlefield transparency through situational awareness and a Common Operating Picture; pick up the enemy much before he picks you up, see the target and direct fire in quick time using the best weaponry available, as also monitor the after effects. Situational awareness existing in the IA at present is on an ad hoc basis whereas the requirement is for an integrated network system. Most foreign armies, including those deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, have situational awareness packages of various types. The IA requires situational awareness customised to its requirements. Fielding of the Battlefield Management System (BMS) will be an important facet of capability building in the army.

Operational necessity

Operational necessity of the BMS can be summarised as under:

• Enable a faster decision process by commanders at all echelons.
• Enable better decision due to reliable operational information provided in real time.
• Ability to quickly close the sensor to shooter loop.

Technology

Technology has allowed commanders to see their areas of responsibility in depth and in real near time. It is possible to develop an accurate common picture and share it both horizontally and vertically. Precisely locating, identifying, tracking and attacking targets by appropriate means and monitoring effects is a reality. Operating in joint environments and mature capability to conduct multi dimensional simultaneous operations is facilitated.

The technology being sought by the IA is mostly available in the world market and the Indian industry appears to be competent to meet the system requirements as is evident from the approximately 26 responses received on issue of a Request for Information (RFI) for the BMS by the IA during 2008. The foreign partners are keen to have a Transfer of Technology with their Indian counterparts and some of them are ready to share the source code as well.

Foreign systems

Some of the battlefield systems deployed in foreign armies are as under:
• FBCB2 (USA): Designed for Brigade and below level, the Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below (FBCB2) is deployed in the Stryker Brigade and its units/sub-units. It meets the typical grass root level requirements of “where am I, where are my buddies, where is the enemy, where are the dangerous areas and how do I now capitalise knowing all this”. The software has been developed by Raytheon. The programme has demonstrated improvements in combat effectiveness and is leading the endeavour to digitise the US Army’s battlefield for the 21st century soldier. Important features include near real time, accuracy of locations, fully automated icons and every platform ubiquitous. The benefits include expanded range of operation, reduced communication time, coordinated manoeuvre capability by night and in bad weather, faster decision making with better certainty, reduced fratricide and increased lethality.
• T-BMS–Commander Battle (France): Produced by Thales, over 1,500 systems have been deployed in SF Brigade, Intelligence Brigade, Mountain Infantry Brigade, Parachute Brigade, Light Manoeuvre Brigade and also in the French-German Brigade. The system has a variety of sub systems like GIS Information System (vector, raster, elevation maps, synchronised 2D/3D view, navigation aids, and so on), Situational Display Services (Tactical Editor, Military Symbols, Order of Battle, ID Cards), Messaging Services, Mission Preparatory Services (Map Workshop–Terrain Study and Interpretation of the Battlefield, Plans and Orders Preparation, Itinerary Planning, Radio Network Configuration, and so on), and Mission Executive Services (Situational Awareness including Blue Force Tracking, automated sharing, graphics and alerts, Orders and Reports Generation, Logistics Status Management), and After Action Review Services (replay of operational sequence, recall/review tactical changes, messages received, and so on).
• Hunter (Israel): Developed by Elbit, the system concept is for combining all C4I efforts in the ground forces to achieve full operability, synergising doctrine, manpower, planning, development and training. Platform integration includes the non-line of sight platforms (mortars, artillery, MLRS), manoeuvre platforms (tanks, infantry, reconnaissance elements, engineers, logistic elements, intelligence elements), airborne platforms (helicopters) and air defence. The project to integrate various media for seamless connectivity is called Tiger. Future Tactical Combat Radio and Secure Cellular through IP routers and Gateways are part of the project.
• P-BISA–Bowman (UK): Produced by General Dynamics, this system is based on tactical and secure voice and data communication. This has been developed around commercially available off-theshelf (COTS) or militarily available offthe-shelf (MOTS) equipment by engaging key equipment partners in system level design from the beginning and minimising new and redevelopment.