In recent news, India has successfully completed six flight-tests of the Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile (QRSAM) system. These tests took place at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) Chandipur, located off the Odisha coast. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Army jointly conducted this test.
About QRSAM
The QRSAM is a canister-based system; it’s stored and operated from specially engineered compartments known as canisters. This design allows for controlled internal conditions, making transport, storage easier and significantly improving the weapon’s shelf life. The system can also effectively track and engage targets, even while on the move.
Range and Mobility of QRSAM
Designed and developed primarily by the DRDO, the QRSAM is a short-range surface-to-air missile system. It’s configured on a mobile, manoeuvrable platform that provides the Army’s moving armoured columns with a protective shield against enemy aerial attacks. It is capable of air defence on the move due to its mobility. The QRSAM has an impressive range of 25 to 30 km, making it suitable for induction into the Army.
Functioning of QRSAM
The QRSAM weapon ensemble operates fully automated while moving. It consists of a command and control system and two radars: Active Array Battery Surveillance Radar and Active Array Battery Multifunction Radar. Both radars provide a 360-degree coverage with “search on move” and “track on move” capabilities. The compact design of the QRSAM utilizes a single stage solid propelled missile and uses a mid-course inertial navigation system with a two-way data link and terminal active seeker developed indigenously by DRDO.
Understanding Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)
Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) is an American anti-missile system designed to intercept and destroy short and medium-range ballistic missiles during their “terminal” phase of flight when they are falling towards the target. It has the unique capability of intercepting missiles both inside and outside the atmosphere and is highly mobile, allowing for worldwide deployability.
About Agni-IV Missile
Agni-IV is a nuclear-capable long-range ballistic missile developed by India. It has a strike range of 4,000 km. This indigenous missile is a two-stage surface-to-surface missile measuring 20 metres in length and weighing about 17 tonnes. Contrary to some reports, it is a two-stage solid fuelled system capable of carrying a one-tonne nuclear warhead over a distance of 4,000 kilometres, not 7,500 km as previously reported by some sources.