The Indian Air Force (IAF) has renewed its focus on modular, open-architecture electronic warfare (EW) systems aimed at ensuring long-term adaptability, reduced lifecycle costs, and rapid modernisation.

Speaking at the conference titled “Leveraging Technology for Universal Modular Scalable Architecture for EW Systems,” Air Marshal Vijay Kumar Garg, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Maintenance Command, emphasised the urgent requirement for systemic reform in EW design philosophy.

Air Marshal Garg underscored that open system architecture (OSA) is central to enabling rapid upgrades and seamless subsystem integration without overhauling entire platforms.

Standardisation across hardware and software interfaces, he noted, would help avoid technological obsolescence while accelerating deployment cycles for critical EW assets. The objective is to create a more agile and responsive maintenance and upgrade ecosystem aligned with operational demands.

Highlighting the growing relevance of indigenous solutions, he called for greater collaboration between the Indian defence industry, public sector undertakings, and academia. Indigenous development, he said, not only enhances strategic sovereignty but also strengthens India’s manufacturing base in key domains such as signal processing, cognitive EW, and electronic intelligence (ELINT) fusion.

The Maintenance Command aims to encourage modular and scalable design frameworks adaptable across multiple airborne and ground-based EW platforms. Such flexibility would allow shared technology modules—ranging from radar warning receivers to electronic support measures—to operate within a unified digital backbone.

This would simplify long-term sustainment efforts and promote interoperability among different EW assets used by the IAF.

Speakers at the conference explored ways to accelerate the adoption of indigenous components under the Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives. Discussions focused on developing robust test and evaluation standards, simulation frameworks, and common middleware that ensure vendor-neutral integration.

The forum also examined opportunities for Indian start-ups and technology institutions to contribute niche algorithms and reconfigurable payload architectures.

The IAF’s open-architecture drive aligns with global trends in next-generation EW development, where modularity, digital backbones, and cognitive autonomy are defining features. By pursuing unified architectural frameworks, the Air Force aims to reduce dependence on proprietary systems, ensuring cost-effective adaptation to evolving electromagnetic threats.

This strategic shift marks a decisive move towards building a resilient, indigenous EW ecosystem—one capable of sustaining India’s electronic superiority in increasingly contested battle environments.

IDN (With Agency Inputs)