In News:

• The Indian Army has initiated induction and fast-track procurement of “SAKSHAM” (Situational Awareness for Kinetic Soft and Hard Kill Assets Management), an indigenously developed, AI-enabled Counter-Unmanned Aerial System (C-UAS) grid created with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).
• Designed as a modular Command & Control (C2) backbone, SAKSHAM provides real-time detection, tracking, identification and neutralisation of hostile drones and other low-altitude aerial threats across the specially defined Tactical Battlefield Space (TBS) or Air Littoral — the airspace up to 3,000 metres (≈10,000 ft) above the ground.

What SAKSHAM is — technical outline

• Purpose: A unified C2 grid to secure ground formations by controlling low-altitude airspace, countering drone surveillance, weaponised UAS and swarms.
• Developer & partners: Designed and developed indigenously by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) in collaboration with the Indian Army’s Corps of Air Defence.
• Architecture & connectivity: Operates over the encrypted Army Data Network (ADN) and presents a GIS-based, common recognised air picture that fuses data from C-UAS sensors, friendly and hostile UAS feeds, and both soft- and hard-kill effectors.
• AI & fusion capabilities: Uses AI/ML-driven fusion to automate threat classification (friendly / neutral / hostile), prioritise responses, and support automated or semi-automated soft-kill (jamming/spoofing) and hard-kill (kinetic) decisions.
• Interoperability: Integrates inputs from India’s automated air-defence network Akashteer and is designed for plug-and-play addition of sensors, jammers, lasers/EMP and future upgrades.

Why SAKSHAM was conceptualised

The Army’s operational experience during Operation Sindoor (2025) — where hostile drone activity exposed detection and response gaps — accelerated the need for a comprehensive C-UAS framework and a shift from traditional Tactical Battle Area concepts to the more inclusive Tactical Battlefield Space (TBS) that explicitly includes the Air Littoral. SAKSHAM is a direct response to those operational lessons.

Operational and strategic impact

• Enhanced situational awareness: A common, real-time air picture shortens decision loops and reduces fratricide risk while allowing freedom of manoeuvre for friendly aerial assets.
• Force protection & deterrence: Rapid detection and neutralisation of drone threats protects troops, logistics nodes and infrastructure from ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) and weaponised UAS attacks.
• Atmanirbhar capability: Indigenous design and BEL partnership strengthen defence manufacturing and upgradeability—key to the Army’s Decade of Transformation (2023–2032) and wider strategic autonomy.
• Scalability & integration: FTP approval and modular design aim for rapid rollout across field formations, enabling layered C-UAS coverage and future networked integration with other services and civil air-safety systems.