Indian Army to Procure ‘Anant Shastra’ Air Defence System from BEL

The Indian Army has issued a tender to government-owned Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) to purchase five to six regiments of the ‘Anant Shastra’ surface-to-air missile weapon system.

• The Indian Army has issued a tender to government-owned Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) to purchase five to six regiments of the ‘Anant Shastra’ surface-to-air missile weapon system to strengthen the air defense network along the borders with Pakistan and China.
• The Anant Shastra air defense missile system was earlier known as the Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QRSAM).
• They said that this project, with an estimated cost of about Rs. 30,000 crore, will strengthen the Army’s air defense, which had played an important role in foiling Pakistani drone attacks during Operation Sindoor.
• The Indian Army operates medium-range surface-to-air missiles (MRSAM), Akash, and other short-range air defense systems and works in an integrated manner with the Indian Air Force to defend against any aerial threat.
• The Army Air Defense is also receiving several new radars, very short-range air defense systems, jammers, and laser-based systems to deal with Turkish and Chinese-origin drones in the Pakistani Army. Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi is emphasizing increasing indigenization in the Army.

Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QRSAM)

• He said that the Anant Shastra air defense systems are highly mobile because they have the capability to detect and track moving targets and can strike even in a short time.
• With a strike range of about 30 kilometers, this system will complement the existing systems of the forces like MRSAM and Akash for short to medium distances.
• During the four-day conflict with Pakistan, which had used Chinese weapons, the Indian Army’s air defense units destroyed most of the drones using L-70 and Zu-23 air defense guns, while Akash and MRSAM along with the Indian Air Force’s Spyder and Sudarshan S-400 air defense systems also played an important role.