News: The ministry of Defence (MoD) announced that the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully conducted the first flight-tests of an Integrated Air Defence Weapon System (IADWS).
About Integrated Air Defence Weapon System (IADWS)
- It is a multi-layered air defence system, which includes three components –
- Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missiles (QRSAM)
- The advanced Very Short Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) missiles
- A high-power laser-based Directed Energy Weapon (DEW).
- Developed by
| Components | Developed by |
| QRSAM | DRDO |
| VSHORADS | Research Centre Imarat (RCI), a Hyderabad-based facility of the DRDO |
| DEW | Centre for High Energy Systems and Sciences (CHESS), a Hyderabad-based facility of the DRDO |
| Command and control | The integrated operation of all these weapon system components is controlled by a Centralized Command and Control Centre, developed by the Defence Research and Development Laboratory, Hyderabad. |
- Components of IADWS
- QRSAM: It is a short-range Surface to Air Missile (SAM) system.
- It is primarily designed to provide a protective shield to moving armoured columns of the Army from enemy aerial attacks.
- The entire weapon system is configured on highly mobile platforms.
- It has search and track capability and can fire on short halts.
- Range: The system has an operation range of three to 30 kilometers.
- Components: The QRSAM weapon ensemble consists of a fully automated command and control system, two radars — Active Array Battery Surveillance Radar and Active Array Battery Multifunction Radar — and one launcher.
- Both the radars have a 360-degree coverage with ‘search on move’ and ‘track on move’
- VSHORADS: It is a fourth-generation, technically advanced miniaturised Man Portable Air Defence System (MANPAD).
- This missile system has the capability to meet the needs of all the three branches of the Armed Forces – Army, Navy and Air Force.
- Range and targets: The weapon system can neutralize targets between the range of 300 meters and six kilometers, including drones and other classes of aerial threats.
- DEW: The land version of the Vehicle mounted Laser DEW MK-II (A) can defeat fixed wing UAV and swarm drones, causing structural damage and disabling their surveillance sensors.
- India has joined the exclusive club of global powers who possess such a system.
- It has a range of less than three kilometers.
- QRSAM: It is a short-range Surface to Air Missile (SAM) system.
- Strategic significance
- Neutralizing the threats: They are meant to neutralize aerial threats within the range of 30 kilometers ranging from high speed to low speed, and fixed wing to rotary wing type.
- It can be looked at as a stepping stone towards Mission Sudarshan Chakra, a comprehensive defence shield.
