Army Air Defence (AAD) is an important component of modern warfare as air power and air threat is developing rapidly due to improved aeronautics, avionics and armament. UAVs have added another dimension to the threat which started with reconnaissance and surveillance, and has now manifested into armed platforms. The employment of cruise and ballistic missiles make any adversaries’ airpower formidable. The security environment in India’s neighbourhood is always on a dangerous threshold and a short fuse which is proven by the active LOC and IB in the recent past thus it is essential to continuous update and modernise AAD weaponry and manpower.

Current AD Scenario

AAD is holding systems of varying vintage ranging from about 50 years old (L70 gun) to the youngest being 20 years old (Tangushka). The remaining gun and missile systems are also more than two decades old. The technology, especially in the field of ammunition, missiles, sensors and active seekers, has advanced very rapidly thus it is necessary to upgrade and replace the existing AD weapon systems at least every 15-20 years so that they remain current. Apart the aspect of weapon obsolescence, there is a factor of shelf life of ammunition and missiles which effects their lethality, accuracy and safety. Considering the vintage, the current AAD picture is rather dismal when reviewed system by system.

L/70 Gun system

L/70 is the mainstay of AAD and has been the war horse of AAD since 1964. It was to be replaced by 2000 however there is no progress. The Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO) development effort also kept its replacement at a limb for about two decades. Not many gun systems are currently available but a possible choice was Skyshield of Rheinmetall AD but unfortunately the company has been blacklisted by India thus there is no hope even in the distant future for a successor system. Even if a gun is shortlisted, it may take at least five years for the delivery to start. Notionally if 10 regiments have to be provided with the new guns then at the rate of one regiment per year, it will take 10 years to equip all the 10 regiments provided there is no spillover. Thus if new guns are inducted by 2030 the current guns, which are already obsolete, will have to provide AD till then which is impractical. Currently L70 is also being upgraded jointly by BEL and Ordnance Factory, Jabalpur; with electric power lay, and electro-optical sighting system. The process of induction of this upgraded system is in progress.

23mm Twin gun

This is a fair weather gun system which is of more than three decades old however its rate of firing is very good (2,000 rounds per minute). It is suitable for mobile role and employment in the mountains. It is being upgraded by BEL. The upgrade includes power lay and electro-optical sighting system which will enhance its capability manifold and also provide it with night-firing capability.

Schilka System

It is a highly mobile system for supporting armour formations and is in service since the early 70’s. Its successor was Tangushka, one regiment of which was procured, but there were many twists and turns for buying additional mounts. The result is that the AAD is stuck with limited equipment which is obsolete and difficult to maintain. The Schilka upgrade has been carried out jointly by BEL with Elbit of Israel which includes a new more powerful engine, digital computer, better electro-optical sighting system and a new fire control radar. The four barrel 23mm gun with a rate of fire of 3,400 rounds per minute has been retained and there is a provision for firing shoulder-fired missiles. The induction has also started. Meanwhile possibilities should be explored for induction of a better system through ‘Joint Venture’ route.

Quick Reaction SAM (QR SAM) System

The current system is OSA-AK which is a highly mobile system for the air defence of armour formations. This system is more than 20 years old and needs to be replaced. DRDO’s effort to develop Trishul system did not succeed and a RFP had been issued twice. Hopefully the current RFP will be taken to its logical conclusion.

Systems Available Globally

Saab’s ASRAD (Atlas short-range air defence) system -R is a vehicle mounted system which is suitable for the protection of armoured and other units on the move.

Spyder SHORAD Missile System of RAFAEL – IAI (Israel)
Spyder name is a combination of PYthon and DERby missiles which are integral to the Spyder system. Python has an IR dual waveband electro-optical imaging seeker with lock-on after launch, with infrared counter-countermeasures. Derby has an active radar seeker, lock on before launch and advanced programmable ECCM. Spyder has a maximum range of 15 km and altitude of ZO-9,000 m, can carry out simultaneous engagement of multiple targets, carry out ripple firing, is all-weather and highly immune to countermeasures. The system is claimed to effectively counter all modern aerial threats including aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, UAVs and precision guided weapons. The two operational missiles complement each other in their target detection, tracking and pursuit profile. The surveillance radar EL/M-2106NG ATAR 3D can simultaneously track and engage up to 60 targets, at a range beyond 35 km. and is a part of the CCU. Indian Air Force has already acquired the system.

ASRAD-R SHORAD missile system of Saab (Sweden)
Saab’s ASRAD-R (Atlas short-range air defence) system is a vehicle-mounted system which is suitable for the protection of armoured and other units on the move. It is designed and produced by Saab in cooperation with Rheinmetall Defence Electronics of Germany. ASRAD-R uses the same unjammable laser guidance Bolide missile of combat-proven RBS 70 system. It can be mounted on almost all type of wheeled and tracked vehicles. ASRAD-R carries ready to fire, four missiles which can be fired within a few seconds of coming to halt. The missiles can be reloaded in less than a minute. Bolide missile is laser beam-riding which provides reliable all-target capability with an intercept range of 8,000 m and an altitude coverage of 5,000 m. The laser-beam guidance is almost impossible to jam, enables short reaction times, engaging multiple targets, has head-on capability with high kill probability at long range and almost ground level altitude. The maximum velocity of the missile is Mach 2. The new Bolide missile, the ASRAD-R system can counter all types of targets, including hard ground targets. Each ASRAD-R unit is equipped with Saab’s HARD radar which is an X-band 3D search and acquisition radar whose small size and lightweight makes it easy to integrate with all type of vehicles. Typically each ASRADR battery has three to four ASRAD-R firing units but can be tailored as per the requirement of the user.

Tor M1 9M330 SHORAD Systemdesigned by Almaz-Antey of Russia
The Tor-M1 SHORAD (SAM-15) is a classic mobile Russian system designed especially for air defence of armoured and other mobile formations. Tor is successor to OSAAK SHORAD (SAM-8) System. It can engage targets from medium to very low altitudes, against many type of aerial targets like helicopters, fighters, UAVs, guided/cruise missiles and precision guided weapon; in an intense jamming environment. A typical Russian air defence battalion consists of 3-5 companies, each equipped with four transporter launcher vehicle (TLVs). Each TLV is equipped with 8 ready to launch missiles, associating radars, fire control systems and a battery command post. The combat vehicle can operate autonomously and can also fire on the move. The system can be brought into action in three minutes and typical reaction time, from target detection to missile launch, could range from 3.4 seconds for stationary positions to 10 seconds while on the move. Each fire unit can engage two separate targets. It has a search radar, a monopulse tracking and engagement radar, and automatic command to line of sight guided missiles. Tor M1 can detect and track up to 48 targets at a maximum range of 25 km. It can engage two targets simultaneously at a range of 1 to 12 km and altitude of 10-6,000 m with a kill probability of 92-95 per cent. It is in service with Russia, China and Iran amongst many others. Tor M2 is a improved version of Tor M1. It is claimed that it can deflect massive enemy air raids in an intense jamming environment and entered service in 2008. Tor M2E is an export version of the Tor M2.

Surface launched advanced mediumrange air-to-air missile (SLAMRAAM)
SLAMRAM is a key player in Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems’ state-of-theart integrated air and missile defence systems which can counter current and future cruise missile threats, and a wide range of air breathing threats. SLAMRAM is capable of defending manoeuvring land forces, high-value fixed assets and mass population centres. SLAMRAM is the US Army’s domestic variant of the Norwegian advanced surface-to-air missile system (NA SAMS system). SLAMRAM system uses the AMRAM fire-and-forget missile, a surveillance radar, a fire distribution centre (FDC) and AMRAM launchers. The SLAMRAM launcher mounts six AMRAM missiles on a turreted high-mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle which provides 360° coverage. The US Army uses the Raytheon AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel radar to carry out the surveillance and target search, acquisition, identification and tracking functions. The electronically scanned phased array radar uses range gate pulse doppler operation at X-band, has a scan rate of 30 rpm and range of 75 km. The system is integrated with a FDC, mounted on a high mobility vehicle which provides tactical operational control including target detection, identification, threat assessment, target designation and damage assessment.

Hawk-AMRAAM air defence system. Raytheon and Kongsberg Defence have jointly developed the HAWK-AMRAM air defence system, which combines the capabilities of HAWK and AMRAM missiles by integrating the system with FDC. The system can include the Sentinel radar and the HAWK AN/MPQ-61 high power illuminator for target tracking and illumination, although it is possible to hook up with any number of radars and missile systems to the FDC. It has been reported that HAWK has been upgraded and named HAWK21 with the FDC developed by Kongsberg as part of NA SAM system. Raytheon jointly with Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace, continue to integrate new capabilities into NA SAMS to develop and field highly capable and fully integrated solutions.

Comparative trials have been carried out on some of the systems like Spyder SHORAD Missile System of RAFAEL – IAI (Israel), ASRAD-R SHORAD missile system of Saab (Sweden), Tor M1 9M330 SHORAD System—designed by Almaz-Antey of Russia but seems to be no further development. Maybe the NDA Government has to take stock of the situation.

Medium range SAM (MRSAM) system. Kvadrat is the current system which is more than 35 years old and has the technology of early 1960’s thus an RFP has been issued but later on withdrawn due to poor response. As DRDO’s Akash has not been found suitable for mobile role, a few regiments of Akash has been contracted for semi-static role. Meanwhile, DRDO has signed a MOU with Israel for the joint development of a missile system of about 70 km. It is meant for Army, Navy and the Air Force. Meanwhile in the interim phase, the AAD may explore the possibility of importing a few regiments of Patriot Advance Capability-3 (PAC-3) from the US through the FMS route. PAC-3 is the obvious choice as it is war proven; has hit to kill technology; can engage aitcrafts, helicopters, UAV’s, cruise and tactical ballistic missiles. It is also deployed with many nations including the US.

Shoulder-fired SAM systems. The current system is Igla which is also in service with the Indian Navy and the Air Force. A tri-service RFP was issued and comparative trials have been carried out during 2011-12 including Saab’s RBS70-NG but there has been no further development.

Conclusion

With the rapid development in air power due to fifth-generations fighters, armed UAVs and cruise missiles, it is essential that the complete AD system which includes land, sea and air-based AAD weapons, develops matching ‘anti’ capability. India’s landbased AD weapons have alarming gaps and the proverbial AD umbrella is leaking heavily which needs immediate rectification.