The next VLF (Very Low Frequency) Radar Station in Damagundam, Vikarabad-Telangana, will be India's second one after the INS Kattabomman Radar Station in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, which has been in operation since 1990.
Navy or military radar stations are usually located in coastal areas. But there is no sea around Telangana. Then there are doubts as to what is the benefit of setting up a radar station here?!. The Indian Navy chose Telangana forest area only for security reasons. Damagundam forest area was chosen as the ideal site for the second radar station by the Eastern Naval Command based in Visakhapatnam. Construction on the station is set to commence later this month.
Soon, three 500-meter-tall radio transmitter towers will stand in Vikarabad, 75 km from Hyderabad in Telangana, when the Indian Navy finishes constructing the important Very Low Frequency Station (VLF) to support communication for the submarine fleet in the Indian Ocean and beyond.
The Navy makes use of VLF communication stations to communicate with personnel aboard ships and submarines.
How Radar works?
The first demonstration of Radar (Radio detection and ranging) was shown in 1935 by Sir Robert Watson-Watt. Later, it became crucial for identifying airplanes during World War II, a factor that greatly sped up its progress. The concept is straightforward. A sender transmits a sequence of extremely brief microwaves pulses. They move away from the antenna and bounce off objects they hit. Some of the radiation is bounced back towards the transmitter's location, where a receiver is situated.
Navy radar systems are complex and vary depending on the specific technology and application, but here's a simplified overview of how they typically work.
Basic Principles of the Radar?
In the present era, the radar centres are being modernized according to the national defense and communication systems. Some of the advanced features are... Frequency Agility (Switches frequencies to avoid interference), Pulse Compression (Enhances range resolution), Integration with other sensors (e.g., Electronic Support Measures, ESM), and Electronic Counter-Countermeasures (ECCM) (Resists jamming attempts). Basic principles of radar station as follows….
1. Radio Waves: Navy radar systems transmit radio waves, called radar pulses, into the air or water.
2. Reflection: When these pulses hit a target (e.g., a ship, submarine, or aircraft), they bounce back to the radar system.
3. Detection: The radar system receives and processes the reflected pulses to determine the target's location, speed, and direction.
Main Components of Radar…
1. Transmitter: Generates the radar pulses.
2. Antenna: Sends and receives radar pulses.
3. Receiver: Amplifies and processes the reflected pulses.
4. Signal Processor: Analyzes the received signals to extract target information.
5. Display: Presents the target data on a screen, often using a Plan Position Indicator (PPI).
Types of Navy Radar
1. Air Search Radar: Detects and tracks aircraft.
2. Surface Search Radar: Detects and tracks surface vessels.
3. Subsurface Radar (Sonar): Detects and tracks submarines.
4. Navigation Radar: Assists with navigation and obstacle avoidance.
5. Phased Array Radar: Uses multiple antennas to steer and shape radar beams electronically.
Operating Modes of Radar
1. Pulse Radar: Transmits pulses at regular intervals.
2. Continuous Wave (CW) Radar: Transmits a continuous wave.
3. Doppler Radar: Measures target speed using frequency shifts.
Modern Navy Radar Systems
1. Aegis Combat System (US Navy)
2. AN/SPY-6(V) Air and Missile Defense Radar (US Navy)
3. US Navy's ELF (Extremely Low Frequency) facility, Wisconsin, USA
4. Russian Navy's VLF transmitter, Murmansk Oblast, Russia
5. Indian Navy's VLF station, Tamil Nadu, India
6. SMART-L (Surveillance Radar), Netherlands
7. Herakles (Multifunction Radar), France
