2019 – Posted in: Daily News

Very Short Range Air Defence Systems (VSHORAD)

For: Preliminary & Mains
Topics covered: Defence equipment, Anti-tank missiles, Man-portable air-defense system, Spike, Igla

News Flash

The Indian Army is acquiring Spike-Long Range Anti-Tank Missiles from Israel and Igla-S Very Short Range Air Defense Systems (VSHORAD) from Russia through a set of new financial powers for emergency obtainments sanctioned by the Defense Ministry.

Deal

As per contract negotiations, it was decided to procure — 170 launchers, 4500 missiles and 15 simulators — through an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) and make up the balance requirement with an indigenous Man Portable ATGM currently under development.

Emergency financial powers

Armed forces have been given a free hand to procure equipment worth upto Rs. 300 crore on a priority basis. Under the emergency route, the Army is looking to procure about 12 launchers and around 250 missiles for each system.

Short Range Air Defence

Short Range Air Defense (SHORAD) is a group of anti-aircraft weapons and tactics that have to do with defense against low-altitude air threats, primarily helicopters and low-flying close air support aircraft such as the A-10 or Sukhoi Su-25.

IGLA-S

It is latest model of Russian MANPADS (Man-portable air-defense missile system) technology. It is designed for use against visible aerial targets at short range such as tactical aircraft, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAVs), cruise missile, head-on or receding, in presence of natural (background) clutter and countermeasures.

As per requirements of Indian Army, it will have maximum range of 6km, altitude of 3km along with all-weather capability. Igla-S missile system will replace the existing Igla in service which is in urgent need of replacement.

Spike

Spike is an Israeli fire-and-forget anti-tank guided missile and anti-personnel missile with a tandem-charge HEAT warhead, currently in its fourth-generation. It was developed and designed by the Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.

The Spike family includes: Spike-SR with a range of 800m, Spike-MR (Gill) with range of 2,500m, Spike-LR with 4,000m range and Spike-ER (formerly known as NTD Dandy) with a range of 8,000m. Spike-LR and Spike-ER can also be fitted on light combat vehicles and a package for mounting Spike-ER on helicopters is also available.

MPATGM

The MPATGM is a third-generation anti-tank guided missile (ATGM), which has been under development by DRDO in partnership with Indian defense contractor VEM Technologies Ltd. since 2015. Fitted with a high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warhead, the MPATGM reportedly boasts a top attack capability and has a maximum engagement range of about 2.5 kilometers.

The Indian Army intends to equip all of its infantry and mechanized units with a third-generation ATGM by the early 2020s. The DRDO has also been working on the third-generation ATGM Nag, fired from the Nag Missile Carrier (NAMICA), an Indian license-produced variant of the Soviet-era BMP-II armored infantry fighting vehicle.

Source: The Hindu

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