India’s RAW to shut down covert air wing

Aviation Research Centre’s assets will be divided between IAF and NTRO

In a bid to enhance its intelligence-gathering on China, India plans to shut down a covert air wing of its premier spy agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and merge the assets with two other departments.

Highly-placed Indian government sources told The Indian Express that the plan, backed by National Security advisor Ajit Doval, envisions dismantling the Aviation Research Centre (ARC) – which focuses on imaging-intelligence.

ARC’s aircraft and electronic assets will then be divided between the Indian Air Force and the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO).

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NTRO will integrate ARC’s aircraft-based cloud-penetrating radar with its satellite-based data gathering efforts, substantially enhancing the latter’s capabilities.

The restructuring is aimed at enhancing intelligence-gathering on Chinese military activity in the Tibet plateau.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 19^th,  2015.