The Indian Army is in the process of revamping its communication systems by procuring Very/Ultra High Frequency (V/UHF) Manpack Software Defined Radio (SDR) systems under Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan.
The contemporary Combat Net Radio (CNR) equipment, which remains the mainstay of communications for the Indian Army in the battlefield, supports voice communication only and has limited or no data transmission capability.
To arm the soldiers with advantages offered by technology and equip them to fight a war in the Net–Centric battle space, present radios will soon be replaced with indigenously developed Software Defined Radio (SDR).
The latest technology will have enhanced data transmission capability, enhanced voice clarity and data transmission accuracy in spectrally noisy environments. It will also support multiple waveforms, have greater system security and better communication survivability in clear and secure mode to meet the operational requirements of the Indian Army.
The Defence Ministry said that, after successful evaluation of vendor responses, Project Sanction Order (PSO) has now been issued to 18 Indian vendors to start prototype development. The contract will be placed with one of the firms post successful development of prototype.
The ministry believes that development of V/UHF Manpack SDR under Make-II will be a game changer for Indian Army. It is also in sync with the Aatmanirbhar Bharat policy of the government which will lead to self reliance in advanced communication systems.
