DRDO QRSAM and SPYDER Air Defence Systems
- Thread starter Ashwin
- Start date
With drone threat, air defence guns back in fashion; fragmentation ammunition key
The QRSAM being developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has a range of 30 km and has been a priority requirement for the Armywww.thehindu.com
In the backdrop of exponential growth of disruptive technologies such as drones, loiter munitions and counter-drone systems, the Army’s Air Defence is gearing up to induct new fragmentation ammunition for existing air defence guns, around 1,300 in service, while pushing proposals for new systems to counter the growing threat. The Army is also set to conclude contract for the indigenously developed Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile (QRSAM) system within 4-5 months.
The QRSAM being developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has a range of 30 km and has been a priority requirement for the Army. “We are hoping to get the contract in place in 4-5 months. DRDO said that once the contract is done, First of Prototype Model (FoPM) will be there in 12 months because we already trial-evaluated the equipment. So, in 18 months they would be able to produce... and eventually have in both wheeled and tracked configurations subsequently,” Director General of Army Air Defence (AAD) Lt. Gen. Sumer Ivan D’Cunha said in an interaction on Friday (February 21, 2025).
Finally. Was supposed to be ready in 2018-19.
Better late than never, though
Only 'cause we didn't go to war with China.
We do have a few of them available in LSP config. Jamnagar refinery is being protected by them.
We should use all the indigenous systems if possible and capture all the required data and videos. This will help the industries to market their product like Russia and the USA do.
I hope we use
Qrsam
Akash NG
Nirbhay
Brahmos ER
Astra mk2
Astra mk3
Mpatgm
Amogh 3
Rudram 1/2/3
Arjun
Atleast this much needs to be used.
Not arjun for the mass production, we need a better and more modern tank than that. Keyword mass production.
Loitering Munitions, Kamikaze drones, FPV drones, optic fiber guided uavs. Production level atleast twice of what Russia currently has is required. We are going to face a bigger manpower.
We can't rely on LSP models to over our main armor, they come with operational deficiencies.
Look at the sad situation of not going through with the IA's demands. With 3 SPYDER regiments, our main armored divisions would have been covered. The IA had also asked for 400 ATHOS, which would have given us complete artillery dominance over Pakistan. The same with Spike missiles in Punjab and Kashmir, but we are still operating 2nd gen ATGMs. There's also the canceled Biho. The IA had also suggested buying 60 Ka-226T as stopgap, we wouldn't have been at the total mercy of a faulty ALH and non-existent LUH today. 48 Mi-17s were also canceled for an IMRH that's still a decade away. Our MANPADS are two generations older since the cancelation of Igla-S. Every single one of these would have been fully operational today.
People fell hook, line, and sinker to the Atmanirbharta lobby, taken over by jingoists and fifth columnists, and sacrificed the army.
Some geniuses wanted to cancel MRSAM for Akash NG too. Thankfully sense prevailed.
Ah, finally, someone's admitting this; never thought it would be @randomradio. Long-term planning and seriousness are qualities present neither in the dynasty nor the god-emperor. And building up an indigenous MIC is a long-term and methodical process.
Additional towed artillery won't make that huge a difference.
Mobile artillery is the striking difference between India and Pakistan. That is where we lack.
True, but the govt. could have placed the repeat order for the K9 much earlier (there's a 4-5 yr gap between the last K9 delivery and the repeat order for another 100.
In an ideal scenario. If the requirement for self propelled tracked howitzers is more than 250 units, it's prudent to divulge the know how of bhim to all potential industries in India capable of coming up with a solution. K9 is not the best out there.
Further the MGS system has been stuck for some time. The MArG of Kalyani would be cheaper than K9 type systems to acquire and operate. And they could be built quicker too. Not ordering them is a crime.
You've missed my posts highlighting this for years now. We can't lose out on operational capabilities for indigenization, but we did. QRSAM was supposed to be delivered from 2019 along with MPATGM. Neither have been fielded. But the real loss was ATHOS. It was just 10% of the overall requirement, but 20 regiments would have given our strike formations overwhelming superiority alongside their Smerchs.
We have enough mobile artillery. The K9 regiments can support our armored divisions.
We can even bring back M-46 catapults, Abbots, and Gvozdika into service alongside some field upgrades.
The real capability hole is a next gen 155/52 towed gun and we have zero.
