New Delhi, (UNI) As the landscape of modern warfare evolves with new and sophisticated threats, the Indian Army is taking proactive measures and is significantly strengthening its Air Defence Systems.
Interacting with mediapersons here, Director General, Army Air Defence Lt Gen Sumer Ivan D’Cunha said that Air Defence systems have been inducted with the concept of provision of air defence protection to VA/ VPs as point defence.
“For terminal or point defence we have guns, Very Short Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) and Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air-Missile (QRSAM) and for area defence we have weapons like Akash and Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MRSAM) to cater for standoff threat,” Lt Gen D’Cunha said.
He said, “The fashion of guns is back. The Indian Army sustained them for good reason and these guns can be effectively used with fragmentation ammunition”.
He said, “The RFI for the indigenous fragmentation ammunition is out to the industry. Every round can be programmed in SMART ammunition with 17 rounds of HE can be roughly equated to one round of smart. It increases the kill probability and reduces logistics. 23mm guns is a fair weather but with huge rate of fire. Very effective in current form but we have taken out an RFI for fragmented ammunition for this also”.
With regards to VSHORADS, he said that some tests have been carried by DRDO but the final version is yet to come.
He said the quantum of VSHORADs is not what it should be. “Quantum is huge but we may look for some number urgently. RFI for Indian industry will be out soon as part of buy Indian and could have adequate numbers to look after Indian industry,” he added.
The Director General said, “As you look at higher variety of drones, we have VSHORADS we need to carry out cost benefit analysis and would be cost prohibitive to use missiles against all drones. So, fragmentation ammunition is the way forward”.
He further said, that contract for two regiment of Akash have been signed. First of Prototype Model (FoPM) for high altitude will be carried out in the coming days.
He said the employment of drones as a concept came out which manifested in a different way in the Russia- Ukraine conflict. The drone capability moved equally fast. From recce to drones, target precision strikes, attack on infantry and tanks increased manifold and both sides suffered huge loses due to these drone strikes.
Replying to a question on how AI could be integrated into the Air Defence System, the Director General said, “This huge challenge has to be met with a huge data numbers of drones being managed in a constricted space. We need to list the frequencies and profile our own drone and known enemy drones, include them in our data base and use AI algorithms to effectively manage our control and reporting system for effectively detecting, identifying and destroying aerial threats. The challenge has also been give to industry as part of Aditi between the Indian Navy and the Army AD”.
On R&D and future training methodology, the senior Army officer said, “Every weapon system nowadays are improving and become increasingly convenient to operate and have video interface which allows for reduced training curriculum. Software and simulators allows for better training on new age systems.
“We don’t need brilliant men now. Loading of guns have improved with autoloaders. Youth is also educated and solutions are being worked out locally”.
“For R&D we have to invest, system and capability in R&D need time to mature and industry must invest in R&D and must invest money, time and effort in R&D for development of solutions,” he added.
