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Indian Army’s Air Defence widens wings

  • June 11, 2023
  • Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
  • Category: DPN Topics
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Indian Army’s Air Defence widens wings

Subject :Science and technology

Section: Defence

Context:

  • The Indian Army’s reorientation from the western borders to the northern borders in the aftermath of the 2020 standoff with China, along with lessons from the ongoing war in Ukraine, are impacting the ongoing transformation of the Army Air Defence (AAD).

Army Air Defence (AAD):

  • The Army Air Defence — called Air Defence Artillery till 2005 — has been in existence since 1940, though its ground-based air defences have increasingly moved to the Air Force. The modernisation of the AAD has stagnated post-1996.
  • Army Air Defence (AAD) has the responsibility of providing Point Air Defence to the national strategic assets like nuclear plants, oil refineries, military airbases, military-industrial complexes, communication nodes, logistic nodes, gun areas, surface-to-surface missiles and so on.

Project Akashteer:

  • A range of new systems, mostly indigenous, are being inducted under Project Akashteer which will build a comprehensive air defence picture for the monitoring, tracking and shooting of air defence assets.
    • This will link all the radars and control centres of AAD and consolidate the air defence picture, removing duplications or overlaps and also integrating all the weapons.
  • The air defence requirements on the northern borders are different from the western front; the need is for lightweight radars and weapon systems with mobility for deployment in the mountains while catering to the infantry’s requirements.
  • The war in Ukraine has also changed the requirements, forcing the army to factor in new threats to air defence such as unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs, loitering munitions, swarm drones and cruise missiles.

Man-Portable Air Defense System (MANPADS):

  • The Ukraine conflict has shown that Man Portable Air Defence Systems (MANPADS) are highly effective when in range with night vision enabled.
  • Man-Portable Air-Defence Systems are short-range, lightweight and portable surface-to-air missiles that can be fired by individuals or small groups to destroy aircraft or helicopters.
  • They help shield troops from aerial attacks and are most effective in targeting low-flying aircrafts.
    • MANPATs or Man-Portable Anti-Tank Systems work in a similar manner but are used to destroy or incapacitate military tanks.
  • MANPADS can be shoulder-fired, launched from atop a ground vehicle, fired from a tripod or stand, and from a helicopter or boat.
  • Features 
    • Weighing anywhere between 10 to 20 kilograms and not being longer than 1.8 metres.
      • They are fairly lightweight as compared to other elaborate weapon systems, making them easy to operate by individual soldiers.
      • Operating MANPADS requires substantially less training.
    • MANPADS have a maximum range of 8 kilometres and can engage targets at altitudes of 4.5 km.
    • Most MANPADS have passive or ‘fire and forget’ guidance systems, meaning the operator is not required to guide the missile to its target, enabling them to run and relocate immediately after firing.
    • The missile stays locked on to the targeted object, not requiring active guidance from the soldier.
      • The missiles are fitted with Infrared (IR) seekers that identify and target the airborne vehicle through heat radiation being emitted by the latter.

Akash surface-to-air missile systems

  • Akash is India’s first indigenously produced medium range SAM that can engage multiple targets from multiple directions and it can be launched from mobile platforms like battle tanks or wheeled trucks. It has a nearly 90% kill probability.
    • The development of the Akash SAM was started by the DRDO in the late 1980s as part of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme.
  • It is unique in the way that It can simultaneously engage multiple targets in group mode or autonomous mode.
  • It has built-in Electronic Counter-Counter Measures (ECCM) features, which means that it has mechanisms on-board that can counter the electronic systems that deceive the detection systems.
  • The missile is supported by the indigenously developed radar called ‘Rajendra’.
  • It can engage targets at a speed 2.5 times more than the speed of sound and can detect and destroy targets flying at low, medium and high altitudes.
  • The missile is reportedly cheaper and more accurate than US’ Patriot missiles due to its solid-fuel technology and high-tech radars.
Indian Army’s Air Defence widens wings Science and tech

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