Air Force’s satellite to be launched next year

PUNE: The Indian Air Force���s (IAF) satellite to gather navigational information will be launched in July 2009. Describing the proposed satellite as ���the IAF eye in the sky���, Air Chief Marshal F.H. Major said it would basically be used to gather navigational information.
Speaking after delivering the General B.C. Joshi memorial lecture at the University Pune on Tuesday, he said, ���Our plans for future expansion have made it inevitable that we would have to utilise the realm of space.���
Asked how the world would react to this development, Major said many nations have already sent such satellites to collect necessary data.���It is the right time to send such a satellite,��� he added. ���The space traffic is increasing by the day and we will find it hard to get space if we delay things.���
He said, ���While I am not a die-hard proponent of weaponisation of space, I am convinced that harnessing the capabilities that space provides, creates a force multiplier effect and increases effectiveness of our operations manifold.���
Noting that India has a well developed space programme, the Air Chief said it was his intention to harness the capability that space based assets provide and put in place structures and mechanisms to exploit enhanced capability.
About the usage of IAF airports for civilian aviation traffic and the traffic problem causing by that, Major said efforts are on to sort out these problems. Civilian air traffic problem can be sorted out by making some changes in the timings of these airports.
The IAF airports could be made available to civilian aircraft during the time when the IAF does not require them, he said.