Government likely to clear new air defence missile regiments for army

In order to boost India’s air defence systems along the Pakistan border, the Ministry of Defence is expected to clear a deal for the procurement of three new regiments of the indigenous Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile (QRSAM) systems for the Indian Army.

Defence officials told India Today that the proposal will be reviewed during the upcoming meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council, scheduled around the fourth week of June.

The systems are intended for deployment along both the western and northern borders adjoining Pakistan.

The QRSAM, with a range of approximately 30 kilometres, is designed to complement existing short-to-medium-range air defence platforms such as the Akash and Medium Range Surface to Air Missile (MRSAM) systems currently in service.

The decision comes in the wake of Operation Sindoor, during which Indian Army and Air Force air defence units successfully countered Pakistani aircraft, missiles, and drone incursions.

During the four-day cross-border firing with Pakistan, the Indian Army’s Air Defence units destroyed the majority of the drones using L-70 and Zu-23 air defence guns, along with the Akash, MRSAM, and the Indian Air Force’s Spider and Sudarshan S-400 systems.

The QRSAM system has undergone extensive trials and demonstrated effective performance in both day and night operational conditions.

In addition to the proposed QRSAM acquisition, the Army Air Defence is also enhancing its capabilities with new radars, very short-range air defence systems, jammers, and laser-based technologies to counter aerial threats, including drones of Turkish and Chinese origin.