New Delhi: While the role played by the Russian-origin S-400 Triumf and India’s indigenous Akash missile defence systems are justifiably receiving a lot of attention for intercepting every missile fired by Pakistan against India on Thursday, credit is also due to India’s vintage L70 40 mm and ZSU-23-4 mm Schilka anti-aircraft gun systems.
These two gun systems brought down at least 50 attack drones launched by Pakistan against civilian targets in cities across Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Rajasthan on Thursday. Not a single Pakistani drone managed to get through.
The L70 40 mm guns were first procured by India from Bofors of Sweden in 1965. Unlike other countries that discarded them years ago, India not only held on to the L70s for the last 60 years but also got them upgraded. India now manufactures these guns under licence. The hydraulic drives of these guns have been replaced by electric Servo drives and they now have Electro-Optical Fire Control Systems, integrated radar, auto-tracking and video tracking.
The L70s can fire 240-330 rounds per minute up to a range of four km. When operating against drones, it saturates the sky with predictive fire. This is very effective against swarm drones. India is known to have over 1,000 L70 guns.
The Schilkas were first purchased by India from the erstwhile USSR in the early 80s. Mounted on a tracked platform with four 23 mm guns, the systems use radar that scans targets up to 20 km. The systems are now upgraded with fire-control technology and fuse-based rounds to counter drone incursions with lethal efficiency.
The Schilkas fire lighter 23 mm shells that enhances their rate of fire. The Schilkas are capable of firing 4,000 rounds per minute. They now use proximity-fuse shells and precision tracking, making it a formidable shield against drones, helicopters, and even light armoured vehicles.
