As India is looking towards more indigenously developed defense systems, the Indian Air Force decided to take one more step in that direction with a proposal worth Rs. 1400 crore for the acquisition of Rudram's next-generation anti-radiation missiles (NGARM). The senior officials from the defense establishment informed that the missiles are crucial for search and destroy operations in enemy territories.
"A proposal for acquisition of advanced missiles developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation is with the Defence Ministry and a high-level meeting would soon be taking a call on it," defense officials told news agency ANI.
The officials further added that the Sukhoi-30 fighter aircraft fleet of the Indian Air Force has already tested the next-generation anti-radiation missiles and found them fully capable of destroying enemy radar locations during the time of conflict.
The technology will enable the fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force to strike enemy targets without detection, the officials informed.
NGARM has excellent accuracy and is developed with the technology to track the radar system even if it is not operating. The missiles can be launched from IAF fighters like the Sukhoi-30 and the Mirage-2000. It is the first indigenously developed anti-radiation missile with the speed of Mach 2 or twice the speed of sound.
The anti-radiation, tactical, air-to-surface missiles have the capability to lock targets not only before the launch but also after the launch. The missile is equipped with a passive homing head that tracks sources of radiation of a wide range of frequencies.
The missile technology came as a grand boost for the Indian Air Force and India's defense preparedness which is moving closer to future wars with indigenous defense systems. The Chief of the Indian Air Force, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari recently reiterated that based on the lessons learned from the war between Russia and Ukraine, the Indian Air Force will be focusing on more ‘made in India’ weapons.
With Inputs from ANI
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