India is all set to celebrate its 75th Republic Day on January 26th. The celebrations for the day include the annual parade at Rajpath, now called Kartavya Path, in New Delhi.
During the parade, a new air defense system will be showcased for the first time.
The new air defense system, which will make its debut, is the Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MR-SAM), a collaborative effort between Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and the Indian Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), designed to replace the aging Russian-made air defense systems in the Indian Air Force and Indian Army service.
The MR-SAM system is built on the Tata LPTA 3138 chassis. It boasts the capacity to intercept enemy aircraft, missiles, helicopters, and drones at a formidable range exceeding 70 kilometers, thanks to its utilization of the cutting-edge Barak 8 missiles. Notably, these missiles are launched vertically from canister-launchers, providing an expansive 360-degree coverage.
The launch vehicle accommodates two stacks of four ready-to-fire missiles, and the entire complement of eight missiles can be deployed within a mere 20 seconds. Quick replenishment is ensured through dedicated reloading vehicles, further underscoring the system’s rapid response capabilities.
