IAF will get first Akash squadron next month

[SpArK]

IAF will get first Akash squadron next month​

The Batch-1 from the Forum of Defense and Aerospace Journalists, Bangalore (FDAJB), had a facility visit to BEL's Radar SBU in Bangalore on November 2. The FDAJB members was shown various features of the Akash Missile System. In the last photo, FDAJB members in front of the Russian Schilka tank, which is now being upgraded by BEL. (A report on the same will go live in Aviation Week today). Photography from close range was prohibited inside the high-sensitive Akash facility. Photos: Bhaktar Babu, Bangalore Beat
| By Anantha Krishnan M. | AVIATION WEEK |

The Indian Air Force (IAF) soon will form its first squadron of the homegrown tactical Akash Missile System (AMS) at Gwalior Air Base. Bharat Electronics Ltd., the principal integrator for AMS, will hand over the first squadron next month. The IAF is expected to operate the system with the Mirage 2000. P.C. Jain, BEL’s general manager of Defense Radars, says his company has firm orders for two AMS squadrons of 48 missiles worth Rs 1,221 crore ($269.5 million). Jain spoke Dec. 2 at the Forum of Defense and Aerospace Journalists of Bangalore. BEL hopes to win additional AMS contracts from the IAF and the Indian Army.

 

[ashdoc]

hopefully this will help close the gap in the existing air defence system .

our earlier medium range air defence systems were getting old , and no modern air defence systems were in place to replace them uptil now.

 

[pbabu266]

Defence major Bharat Electronics Limited expects to bag contracts worth at least Rs 10,000 crore in the next few months from Indian Air Force and the army to produce several squadrons of Akash missile system.

Bangalore-based BEL has already bagged a Rs 1,221 crore order from IAF to produce two squadrons of the surface-to-air area defence guided missile system.

"They (IAF) are going to place another order for six squadrons shortly (in a month)," said P C Jain, general manager of BEL's military radar business unit.

BEL sources said the order for six squadrons of Akash missile system is estimated to be nearly Rs 3,500 crore.

They said each squadron consists of 48 missiles, a surveillance radar (3D central acquisition radar) and a tracking (flight level) radar and flight control centre, among others.

According to Jain, the Indian Army is "looking for the same (Akash missile) system", and BEL is expecting an order to produce two regiments for it.

The army is currently in the process of finalising the configuration it requires vis-a-vis the system.

"Each regiment is much bigger than a squadron, much, much bigger...May be five-six squadron is equivalent to one regiment," Jain said, indicating that the army order is expected to be Rs 6,000 crore-Rs 7,000 crore.

The surveillance radar used in the Akash missile system, a medium-range, multi-target surface-to-air defence system which provides air defence against multifarious threats to mobile, semi-mobile and static vulnerable forces and areas, has a range of 120 km and the tracking radar 80 km.

The surveillance and tracking radar can detect 100 targets and 64 targets simultaneously, respectively.

The missile system has a range of 25 km and "it can go up to an altitude of 18 km", Jain said. "It can engage four targets simultaneously. We can launch eight missiles simultaneously."

He also said the BEL has despatched the company- produced weapon location radar system to Pokhran in Rajasthan for user trials by the army, from which it expects to bag order to deliver 50 such units.

Jain said BEL has delivered 1,400 Battle Field Surveillance Radars to the Indian Army, adding, the IAF is now looking to deploy such systems to monitor movement of manpower, jeeps and other small vehicles in its airfields.

BEL would shortly make a presentation to the IAF in this regard.