SOURCE: AFI
In a strategic move to bolster its air defence posture in the southern region, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has initiated steps to establish an advanced radar system at Chaliyam, near Beypore in Kozhikode, Kerala. The radar facility will be capable of detecting incoming missiles and various other aerial threats, providing the IAF with extended surveillance and early warning capabilities over the Arabian Sea and southern airspace.
This development gains significance in the backdrop of China’s expanding influence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), particularly in Sri Lanka, where Beijing has already secured a long-term lease of the Hambantota Port and is reportedly exploring the possibility of establishing an airbase nearby. These moves have triggered concern in New Delhi over China’s potential dual-use military infrastructure in the IOR, leading to a recalibration of India’s own defensive footprint in the southern peninsula.
The installation of the radar system in Kozhikode is a part of India’s larger effort to strengthen its layered air defence network and provide 360-degree radar coverage across strategic coastal zones. The system, once operational, will enhance India’s ability to track hostile aircraft, drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles at long range, enabling faster threat assessment and response coordination.
Southern India, while relatively insulated from traditional land-based threats, is emerging as a critical region due to the increasing strategic importance of the Indian Ocean. With naval and air assets already positioned in the region, the deployment of advanced radar systems signals a shift toward pre-emptive situational awareness and deterrence against potential adversaries projecting power close to India’s maritime borders.
Experts believe that China’s growing maritime and military interests in the Indian Ocean, including regular presence of PLAN (People’s Liberation Army Navy) ships, dual-use surveillance vessels, and economic investments in ports like Gwadar (Pakistan) and Hambantota (Sri Lanka), are being closely monitored by Indian security agencies. Establishing a high-performance radar in Kerala not only provides coverage of the southern seaboard but also supports integrated air defence command and control operations in coordination with naval and ground forces.
With geopolitical tensions on the rise in the Indo-Pacific and China’s footprint expanding westward, India’s emphasis on air and maritime situational awareness reflects a broader doctrinal shift towards building a comprehensive anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) shield to safeguard national interests in the region.
The Kozhikode radar installation is expected to be part of a networked radar grid linking several nodes across the southern and eastern seaboard, ultimately feeding into the Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS), the backbone of India’s real-time air defence operations.
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