The 1999 Kargil conflict exposed India’s shortcomings in terms of combat zone surveillance. Determining which positions the adversary occupied took definite time. Accurate targeting was really made possible by an inventive young IAF pilot who flew a MiG-21 equipped with a Handycam to record enemy positions.Twenty-five years later, the Indian government has approved the Space Based Surveillance III project and the purchase of Predator drones from the United States, two significant measures to improve surveillance capabilities and national security. Both of these choices will strengthen the region’s strategic surveillance capacity and send a powerful message.
