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 Army
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).
