STARStrek Air Defence System
A French multinational company, Thales and an enterprise of Government of India, Bharat Dynamics (BDL) have signed an agreement to jointly work on the STARStreak Air Defence system. This agreement has now made the BDL a part of the STARStreak global supply chain. Following this, the company will supply the Indian manufactured components for the existing and future STARStreak Air Defence customers. In this context, Let’s have a look on the STARStrek Air Defence System.
STARStreak Air Defence System
- It is a short-range surface-to-air missile which was earlier known as the Shorts Missile System.
- This air defence system travels with the speed of Mach 3. It means, this system has a speed three times greater than the speed of sound.
- The missile was inducted into the British Army in the year 1997.
- It has a minimum range of 0.3 km and the maximum range of 7 km.
- The STARStreak systems have three darts as opposed to usual one darts in such systems. These darts increase the accuracy of reaching to the target position.
Variants of the STARStreak System
The STARStreak system have several variants including the
- Air to Air system – it can be fired from helicopters.
- Light Weight Multiple Launcher – It can be used by mounting on a stationary vehicle.
- Surface to air missile– This is currently the fastest short-range surface to air missile in the world. It can pick up the speed greater than Mack 4 after it is fired.
Significance of STARStreak Air Defence System
The STARStreak Air Defence System has a greater speed which makes it difficult for the pilots to evade. The system cannot be jammed by infrared countermeasures. It has also been optimised to get engaged with the attack helicopters. Further, the system cannot be suppressed with anti-radar missiles. Its high speed reduces the time to take any counter measure like illuminating the guidance laser source.