âNetwork-centricâ is the new buzzword that defines the high-tech combat of today. The Shivalik is supremely well equipped for the new digital battlefield.
In the days of cannon and sail, a warshipâs Captain directed battle from the shipâs Bridge, from where he could observe what was happening as the combatants closed in, raking each other with cannon-fire. Today it all happens at far longer ranges. Battle, for the Shivalikâs Captain, would be a high-stakes video game conducted from an Operations Room, the enemy only a blip on a radar screen.
The nerve centre of the Shivalikâs battlefield capability is an indigenous design triumph called the AISDN (short for ATM-based Integrated Services Digital Network). This is a backbone network that allows all electronic information from the Shivalikâs systems and sensors — e.g. engines, navigation devices, radars, weaponry, radio sets and control systems — to be transmitted digitally all over the warship on a common data base. Designed by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) in partnership with Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), this common carrier takes vital information to the Shivalikâs commanders in real time on multi-function displays.
âThis is as good, if not better than comparable systems on any warship in the worldâ, says Captain Sunder. âOn earlier warships, weapons had a separate data bus, sensors had their own bus, and so on. Now, the AISDN integrates all that, and also information coming from sensors outside the Shivalik, such as from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS).â
Taking feed from AISDN, is another network, the Computer-aided Action Information Organisation (CAIO), which brings to the captain a complete electronic picture of the battlefield. This is the heart of the weapons exploitation system, laying out for the Captain all the information about targets being picked up by the warshipâs sensors and radars.
This will also be transmitted to the shipâs Executive Officer (XO), the second-in-command after the Captain, and the man responsible for the shipâs weaponry. From his console, the XO electronically assigns each detected target to one of his weapons.
When the Shivalikâs radars detect an enemy aircraft, the CAIO will show it up on the consoles automatically. The CAIO includes a Decision Support System that will suggest what to use to shoot down the aircraft; the final decision, though, is that of the commanding officer. He could decide to use the 76mm gun; the command will go electronically from his console to that of the gunnery officer controlling the gun. Alternatively, he could choose to use a missile. Either way, the detection, the information, the allocation of a weapon to the target and the actual engagement itself, would all be done electronically.
Assisting the Captain in managing the battle would be a multi-function, touch-screen console called the Integrated Versatile Console System (IVCS), providing pinpoint navigational information, the shipâs course, position, and its engine parameters.
The shipâs movements are controlled through an Integrated Machinery Control System (IMCS) that links all the shipâs engines and other auxiliary machinery, via optic fibre cabling, to various control points. The Shivalikâs four generators, which together produce 4 Megawatts of power, enough to light up a small city, are controlled through the Automated Power Management System (APMS), which senses the requirement of power at all times. No sailors are needed to constantly monitor power requirement or to switch on and off the generators.
The Shivalik is also equipped for the nuclear and chemical battlefield. It is the navyâs first ship with a Total Atmospheric Control System (TACS), which filters all air going into the ship at all times, including the air being used by the engines. This would remove radioactive, chemical and biological impurities, protecting the crew and the systems. For this reason, the Shivalik is centrally air-conditioned and has no portholes. There are also decontamination facilities on board in case the ship passes through an area where the radioactivity from a nuclear strike still lingers.
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