Army Variant of MRSAM

• 24 Dec 2020

Why in News

Recently, the maiden test of the Medium Range Surface to Air Missile (MRSAM) for the Indian Army has been conducted.

Key Points

• About Army Variant of MRSAM:
  
  • It is a surface to air missile developed jointly by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), India and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Israel for use by the Indian Army.
  • It consists of a command and control post, multi-function radar and mobile launcher system.
• MRSAM:
  
  • It is a high response, quick reaction, vertically launched supersonic missile, designed to neutralize enemy aerial threats – missiles, aircraft, guided bombs, helicopters.
    
    • Supersonic missiles exceed the speed of sound (Mach 1) but they are not faster than Mach-3.
  • It is used by the Army, Navy and Air Force as different variants.
    
    • In May 2019, Indian Navy, DRDO and IAI conducted the maiden co-operative engagement firing of the naval version of the MRSAM.
  • It is a land based variant of the Barak Air and Missile Defence System (AMD).
• India-Israel Defence Cooperation:
  
  • Israel has been among the top four arms suppliers to India for almost two decades now, notching military sales worth around USD 1 billion every year.
  • Indian armed forces are inducting the next-generation Barak-8 surface-to-air missile systems under three joint DRDO-IAI projects worth over Rs. 30,000 crore.
  • The Indian armed forces have inducted a wide array of Israeli weapon systems over the years, which range from Phalcon AWACS (airborne warning and control systems) and Heron, Searcher-II and Harop drones to Barak anti-missile defence systems and Spyder quick-reaction anti-aircraft missile systems.
  • The acquisitions also include a host of Israeli missiles and precision-guided munitions, from Python and Derby air-to-air missiles to Crystal Maze and Spice-2000 bombs.

Source: IE