India is set to procure the Igla-S a powerful hand-held anti-missile system from Russia to boost defence infrastructure along borders with China and Pakistan.
According to Russian state news agency TASS, Russia has signed a contract to supply the Igla-S hand-held anti-aircraft missiles to India and permit the weapon to be produced in India under licence.
The weapon has been designed to attack low-flying aircraft and can engage all sorts of visually detectable aircraft and helicopters.
What is Igla-S Defence System?
The Igla-S is a man-portable air defence system (MANPADS) that can be fired by an individual or crew to bring down an enemy aircraft. The weapon, an advanced variant of the Igla MANPADS, can engage low-flying aircraft and helicopters and identify air targets such as cruise missiles and drones.
The weapon system comprises the 9M342 missile, the 9P522 launching mechanism, the 9V866-2 mobile test station, and the 9F719-2 test set.
It has a range of 500 metres to 6 kilometres and attack targets up to an altitude of 3.5 kilometres. The speed of the missile is 400 metres per second and the deployment time is 13 seconds.
MANPADS have become popular after being successfully deployed by Ukraine to thwart the Russia’s air superiority in the ongoing war.
Some Igla-S systems Already in Use
The Army, Navy and the Indian Air Force already have Igla man-portable missiles in their inventories. The Indian Army last year inducted a small number of Igla-S systems under the emergency procurement route to bolster its defence capabilities amid ongoing tensions with China and Pakistan. The contract was signed in December 2020 and the equipment was delivered by December 2021.
India procured 216 missiles, 24 launchers, and additional testing equipment from Russia, which was finally inducted in April last year.
The Defence Ministry was considering a contract to procure Igla-S as a part of the Very Short-Range Air Defense (VSHORAD) deal.
In addition to the Igla-S, the Army variant of the Medium Range Surface to Air Missile (MRSAM) has also been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).
India is also looking at production of the Russian missile systems in the country under the Make-in-India initiative, according to PTI.
India-Russia Defence Ties
Though India has heavily cut down its defence imports, however, the country is still reliant on Russian weapons along the western and northern fronts.
Russia accounted for 45% of India’s arms imports between 2018 and 2022, with France providing 29% and the United States 11%, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
India has also purchased S-400 anti-aircraft systems from Russia, which can hit targets at 400 km maximum distance and also have the capability to take out targets at shorter ranges too. India signed a USD 5 billion deal with Russia to buy five units of the S-400 air defence missile systems in October 2018, despite sanctions warning by the US.
Russia started delivery of the first regiment of the missile systems in December 2021 and it has been deployed to cover parts of the border with China in the northern sector as well as the frontier with Pakistan. The S-400 is known as Russia’s most advanced long-range surface-to-air missile defence system.
The IAF relies on Russian defence companies for spare parts on the Su-30 MKI, tanks, armoured vehicles and shells. Earlier this year, India and Russia also began the joint production of AK-203 Kalashnikov assault rifles.
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