The Long Range
Surface-to-Air Missile (LRSAM),
which can intercept
incoming targets at a range
of 80 km, is all set to be testfired
from a naval warship
this month.
Navy oicials said integration
of the missile and all
the systems on board the
guided missile destroyer
INS Kolkata were complete.
“All preparations are done
and the test can happen
anytime.”
LR-SAM, also known as
Barak NG (next generation),
is being co-developed
by the Defence Research
and Development Organisation
(DRDO) from India
and Israel Aerospace Industries
(IAI) of Israel. The
missile has been successfully
test-fired against a flying
target in Israel in November
2014.
Running behind schedule
The project, however, is
running behind schedule. It
was approved in 2005 with
an initial funding of Rs.
2,606 crore and was to be inducted
in 2011 but has been
delayed due to technical
diiculties.
The Navy intends to have
LR-SAM as the standard fitment
on all its future warships
and also retrofit existing
frontline ships.
While the LR-SAM will
form the first tier of the
multi-layered air defence at
long ranges, the shorter
ranges are handled by Barak-I
missiles with range of
around 10 km which are currently
operational on all
frontline warships including
the aircraft carrier INS
Vikramaditya.
The Navy intends to replace
the Barak-Is and the
Defence Ministry has in
March given approval for
the co-development of a
Short Range Surface-to-Air
Missile (SR-SAM), Maitri,
by the DRDO with MBDA of
France. Under this, nine SRSAMs
with 40 missiles each
are to be initially developed.
The project has been in
the works since 2007, but
did not make progress as it
clashed with the indigenous
Akash project.
