The Phase - III of Army Static Switched Communication Network (ASCON) named “Mercury Thunder” became operational to cover the whole nation where units and formations will have access to ‘triple play’ services including voice, video and data. This robust, reliable, secure, survivable and flexible info-structure backbone network will digitize the battle field.
Included in this network is a backbone network capable of transporting large sharable bandwidth seamlessly using optical fibers, microwave radios, and a satellite overlay network. Implemented over state-of-the-art commercial technologies, Mercury Thunder has a fully automated secure digital backbone network, providing highly reliable and secure communications.
Replete with the latest switching gear, the network has a powerful and intelligent network system containing self-heeling optical fiber rings to provide resilience and survivability. The satellite overlay network greatly enhances the network’s flexibility and survivability. Further, the new system has innovative and novel concepts such as Mobile Nodes to extend network and for resuscitation of damaged Nodes so that bandwidth, capacities, and capabilities are shared.
Inaugurating the network, Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee observed that “The modern warfare is not limited in time, space, and boundaries” and is also “asymmetrical” in nature and that this network will “unify national security interests strategically and tactically during war, peace, disasters or otherwise.”
Mercury Thunder is part of the Indian Army’s Network Centric Warfare initiative and is a paradigm shift from the traditional voice centric networks. While the network provides the infrastructure, the nation needs to develop applications such as inventory, intelligence, and intrusion (physical and virtual) alerts; capability monitoring and troop deployment statistics; and heuristic based algorithms that can study equipment, intelligence, personnel failure patterns so management can bring in remedies. In addition, with remote sensing satellites already in its inventory, the defense forces can also study and investigate areas within hostile territory, maintain inventory of digital images, automate analysis of images, etc
