Air Cover

Prof. D.K. Pandey

Israel’s war against Iran, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza and the Houthi rebels in Yemen has explicitly established the need for air defence systems. Israel boasts of having an exceptionally good aerial defence system with the support of the United States, including Iron Dome, David’s Sling, Arrow 2, and Arrow 3 missiles. Israel has often employed its complex network of air defences to respond to missile and drone attacks in the past few months. Israel used all the missile defence systems that were available at that time to repel over 300 drones and missiles in April and 180 projectile attacks from Iran on 1 October 2024. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) stated that 90 per cent of the Iranian projectiles launched were destroyed.

The Iron Dome is considered the most used missile defence system globally, with over 2,500 operational intercepts and a success rate of over 90 per cent since 2011. The system is intended to engage short-range rockets, shells, and mortars at distances between 4km and 70km from the missile launcher, strengthening its image of accuracy and reliability.

India also needs to enhance its air defence environment to counter threats from the air, as it has two hostile neighbours. These threats originate both from the east (China) and the west (Pakistan). It is important for India to strengthen its air defence capabilities to ensure the country’s security.

Indian SAMs

India’s air defence missile systems play a crucial role in protecting its airspace from aerial threats, including enemy aircraft, missiles, and UAVs. Over the years, India has developed and acquired various surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems to strengthen its air defence architecture. These SAM systems are designed to address threats at different altitudes and ranges. Here’s an overview of India’s major air defence missile systems.

Akash Missile System: The Akash system is a medium-range SAM indigenously developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). It has a range of up to 30 km. Akash employs a solid-fuel, two-stage rocket motor and comes equipped with a high-explosive fragmentation warhead. It works in conjunction with the Rajendra radar system for target acquisition.

Akash is a mobile air defence system designed to neutralise attacks from aerial platforms, like aircraft, helicopters, and unmanned aerial vehicles. The Akash missile system enables targets to be engaged at altitudes of 18 km. It can engage multiple targets simultaneously and possesses its own indigenous radar and control equipment. It is one of the rare indigenous SAM systems in the Indian inventory. The Akash-NG (New Generation), an upgraded version with better performance and advanced technology, has a range of 70km and enhanced accuracy.

Barak-8 (LR-SAM): BARAK-8, the long-range surface-to-air missile system, is a joint venture of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) with the DRDO. The system has been developed for defence against aerial threats, including fighters, helicopters, UAVs, missiles aiming at ships and others, and even ballistic missiles. It is applied in naval and shore-based systems. It has a multifunctional surveillance-firing control system radar. This system has a very advanced radar and control system based on a phased array radar system.

Barak-8 is a highly mobile missile with an advanced rocket motor. It is an active radar-guided missile powered by a dual-pulse rocket motor. Two pulses enable tracking of manoeuvring targets. It can be launched from either airborne or seaborne facilities. The Bara