New Delhi: The Army has issued a tender to buy 5-6 regiments of ‘Anant Shastra’ surface-to-air missile weapon systems to strengthen India’s air defences along the borders with Pakistan and China. This contract is being considered a major boost to the country’s Atmanirbharta and “Make In India” efforts, particularly in the field of defence production.
The tender was issued by the Indian Army to the state-owned Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) to buy the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) developed Anant Shastra air defence missile system, which was earlier known as the Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile (QR-SAM) system, ANI has reported.
The project cost is estimated around Rs 30,000 crore. The need for the system was felt after the crucial role played by the Army Air Defence (AAD) units in thwarting Pakistani missile and drone attacks during Operation Sindoor.
The Army’s AAD operates the MR-SAM, Akash and other smaller air defence systems and works in an integrated manner with the Indian Air Force (IAF) to guard against any aerial threats.
Officials said that the Defence Acquisition Council cleared the project soon after Operation Sindoor. The highly mobile and agile missile systems would be deployed along both western and northern borders, they added.
Anant Shastra air defence systems are highly mobile as they have the capability to search and track targets on the move and can fire at short halts. With a range of around 30 km, the system would complement the existing systems in the forces like the MR-SAM and Akash in short to medium ranges.
The missile system performance has already been extensively evaluated under both day and night operational scenarios during the trials.
During Operation Sindoor, the AAD units destroyed the majority of the drones using L-70 and Zu-23 air defence guns, while the Akash and MRSAM played a crucial role, along with the Indian Air Force’s Spyder and Sudarshan S-400 air defence systems, against incoming missiles. The AAD is also getting a number of new radars, very short-range air defence systems, along with jammers and laser-based systems to deal with drones of Turkish and Chinese origin in the Pakistan Army, it has been reported.
