India test-fires new multi-layered air defense system
India has successfully tested a new integrated air defense system, which took down three targets at varying altitudes and ranges, the Defense Ministry said on Sunday.
The tests came in the wake of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s unveiling of plans to protect the country’s military and civilian assets from aerial threats. Modi has set a ten-year target to develop a domestically built air defense shield, integrated with offensive capabilities, under the “Mission Sudarshan Chakra” initiative.
“During the flight-tests, three different targets including two high-speed fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle targets and a multi-copter drone were simultaneously engaged and destroyed completely by the QRSAM, VSHORADS and the high-energy laser weapon system at different ranges and altitudes,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
QRSAM (Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile) and VSHORADS (Very Short Range Air Defense System) form part of India’s integrated air defense weapon system.
The system components – including the missile systems, drone detection and destruction system, command and control systems, and communication and radars – performed “flawlessly,” the Defense Ministry added.
Earlier in August, New Delhi approved defense purchases worth about $7.6 billion in an attempt to upgrade the operational capabilities of its armed forces. This includes the acquisition of more BrahMos missiles and armed drones, in addition to clearing modernization proposals put forward by the armed forces.
India’s Defense Acquisition Council has also approved long-term maintenance and support plans for existing critical systems, including the air force's Boeing aircraft, and a comprehensive annual maintenance contract for the S-400 air defense missile system.
