Major development as far as Indian missile defence capabilities are concerned. Kalyani Rafael has flagged off the midsection of India’s Medium Range Surface to Air missile defence system. Kalyani Rafael Advanced Systems Private Ltd KRAS rolls out the first delivery of 1000 MRSAM Missile Kits for the Indian Army and Air Force.
These missile sections will now be ‘forwarded’ to India’s Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) for further and future integration.
The Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MRSAM) is being developed by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in collaboration with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). The missile is designed to provide the armed forces with air defence capability against a variety of aerial threats at medium ranges.
Each MRSAM weapon system comprises one command and control system, one tracking radar, missiles, and mobile launcher systems.
The mobile launcher is used to transport, emplace and launch up to eight canisters missiles in two stacks. It can fire the missiles in single or ripple firing modes from the vertical firing position.
The combat management system simplifies the process of engaging a variety of threats. It identifies and tracks the threat using a tracking radar. The system calculates the distance between the target and the launcher and then determines if the identified target is a friend or a foe. The target information is then transmitted to the mobile launcher.
The weapon is 4.5m-long, weighs approximately 276kg, and is equipped with canards and fins for control and manoeuvrability.
MRSAM missile is equipped with an advanced active radar radio frequency (RF) seeker, advanced rotating phased array radar, and a bidirectional data link. The RF seeker, located in the front section of the missile, is used to detect moving targets in all weather conditions.
The phased array radar provides a high-quality air situation picture, while the bidirectional data link is used for relaying midcourse guidance and target information to the missile.
The missile’s explosive warhead, featuring a self-destruct fuse, provides a high-probability of kill against enemy targets with minimal collateral damage.
MRSAM surface-to-air missile is powered by a dual-pulse solid propulsion system developed by DRDO.
The propulsion system, coupled with a thrust vector control system, allows the missile to move at a maximum speed of Mach 2. The weapon can engage multiple targets simultaneously at ranges of 70km.
