Eyes in the sky: How India plans to detect & destroy every airborne threat before it strikes

Recent conflicts in West Asia, Eastern Europe and the Indian subcontinent have demonstrated the effectiveness of air power. Pakistan, Ukraine and various countries in the Gulf have experienced the debilitating effects of aerial firepower. As nations across the board improve their air defences, a key priority is enhancing their ability to build a clearer air picture. "You can't shoot what you can't see," as the old adage goes. One of the biggest challenges faced by military planners is reducing the reaction time available to defending forces against threats travelling at hundreds, or even thousands, of kilometres per hour. This becomes especially important when those threats fly close to the ground to avoid radar detection.Radars, much like human eyesight, work on the principle of line of sight, as radar waves travel in straight lines.