Page 22 - ADT SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2022 Online Magazine

India’s Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), helicopters and will have taken delivery of two helicopters by the
which is the nation’s apex defence decision end of October.
making body, had approved procurement of The LCH will be used by both services to perform missions such
15 LCHs in Limited Series Production (LSP) con- as Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR), Destruction of Enemy Air
figuration in March. The first batch of 15 LCHs Defence (DEAD), Counter Insurgency (CI) operations, against slow
would cost Rs. 39 billion along with Infrastructure moving aircraft and Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPAs), high altitude  SHOW PREVIEW DEFEXPO
sanctions made worth Rs. 3.8 billion for creation bunker busting operations, Counter Insurgency operations in jungle
of base and maintenance infrastructure. The IAF and urban environments and support to ground forces. The need
is to receive a total of 10 helicopters from this for a dedicated light attack helicopter capable of operating at
batch, of which four have already been deliv- high-altitudes in India’s Himalayan ranges was felt after the 1999
ered by HAL. The army is slated to receive five Kargil War with Pakistan.

INDIAN QRSAM

SYSTEM

COMPLETES

EVALUATION

TRIALS

The quick reaction surface to air missile (QRSAM)
system being developed by India’s Defence
Research and Development Organisation
(DRDO) in collaboration with Israel Aerospace
Industries (IAI) has completed evaluation trials,
paving the way for its induction into the Indian four-walled having 360-degree coverage with search on move and
Army. Six flight-tests of the QRSAM system track on move capability. The missile is propelled by a single stage
were recently completed successfully from the solid propellant rocket motor and it is canisterised for transporta-
Integrated Test Range (ITR) Chandipur off the tion and launch using a mobile launcher capable of carrying six
Odisha on India’s Eastern coast. The flight tests canisterised missiles. The missile has a midcourse inertial navigation
were conducted as part of evaluation trials by system with two-way data link and terminal active seeker which
the Indian Army. Dr Samir V Kamat Secretary, was developed indigenously by DRDO. The recent series of six
Department of Defence R&D and Chairman, tests were conducted in the final deployment configuration of the
DRDO said the system was now ready for induc- QRSAM, which consisted of all indigenously-developed sub-sys-
tion into the Indian Army.
tems, including the missile with indigenous radio frequency (RF)
seeker, mobile launcher, fully automated command and control
The short range SAM system is designed to system, surveillance and multi-function radars.
protect moving armoured columns from aerial
attacks and the entire weapon system is con-
figured on highly mobile platforms to provide air The flight-tests were carried out against high-speed aerial tar-
defence to army units on the move. According to gets mimicking various types of threats to evaluate the capability
a DRDO official, the uniqueness of the QRSAM of the weapon systems under different scenarios, including long
weapon system is that it can operate on the range medium altitude, short range, high altitude manoeuvring
move with search and track capability & fire target, low radar signature with receding & crossing target and
on short halt. This has been proven during the salvo launch of two missiles fired in quick succession. The system
mobility trials conducted earlier, the person said. performance was also evaluated under day and night operation
scenarios. During these tests, all the mission objectives were met
The QRSAM weapon system, which operates on establishing pin-point accuracy of the weapon system with state-
the move, comprises of fully automated com- of-the-art guidance and control algorithms including warhead
mand and control system, active array battery chain, the official said. The first in the series tests of QRSAM took
surveillance radar, active array battery multi- place in December 2019 and the SAM system was originally sched-
function radar and launcher. Both radars are uled for service entry in 2021.
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