India's Air Defense System: Army Anti-Aircraft Missile Systems
India has a very powerful ground force. It has approximately 900,000 active personnel, with another 300,000 active reserves. It has up to 3,800 active personnel. tanks, approximately 2,400 infantry fighting vehicles, about 3,500 various wheeled armored vehicles, more than 4,500 towed artillery pieces of 105 mm and above caliber, about 1,000 self-propelled 105–155 mm howitzers and more than 300 MLRS.
Covering troops from air strikes is entrusted to the Air Defense Corps, which consists of 74 regiments and separate divisions of the military Defense (part is in the process of reorganization and reformation), armed with self-propelled anti-aircraft missile complexes, missile and gun systems, artillery self-propelled and towed units.
2K12E "Kvadrat" air defense missile system
The Indian Army's air defense forces still operate the mobile 2K12E "Kvadrat" air defense system (an export version of the Soviet 2K12 "Kub"). India received these systems from the USSR in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and they were intended to support large mechanized formations operating outside the air defense umbrella.
According to reference data, in the mid-1990s, the Indian Air Defense Corps had twelve regiments, each with three batteries (systems). Currently, India is armed with the 2K12E "Kvadrat" SAM system in two self-propelled air defense missile regiments (mobile air defense groups): the 501st and 502nd. Each regiment formally has three batteries, as well as attached radar and control systems. However, most likely, due to the high level of wear and tear on their equipment and 3M9 SAMs, these units do not have the authorized number of serviceable combat vehicles or a reserve of serviceable SAMs.
The standard 2K12E Kvadrat fire battery includes: a self-propelled reconnaissance and guidance unit (SURN), four self-propelled launchers (SPU), a target designation receiving cabin (TDC), and transport and loading vehicles on a ZIL-131 chassis with a special hydraulic lift for handling missiles.
Each self-propelled launcher carries three solid-fuel anti-aircraft missiles with a ramjet engine and a semi-active radar guidance system. A solid-fuel first stage accelerates the 3M9 missile to its cruising speed. The Kvadrat SAM system is capable of engaging airborne targets at ranges of 4–23 km and altitudes of 50–7,000 m.
A self-propelled reconnaissance and guidance system, housing two tiered antennas for two radars, providing independent target detection, acquisition, and illumination for guiding surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). The target acquisition station has a range of 3 to 70 km and an altitude of 30 to 8,000 m. The missile guidance station (MGS) provides target acquisition, subsequent tracking, and illumination for the SAM's semi-active radar homing head. If the MGS is suppressed by electronic jamming, target tracking can be performed using a television-optical viewfinder (TOV), although the targeting accuracy is lower than with radar tracking.
Although the SURN ensures the autonomous use of the air defense system, the combat effectiveness of the complex increased significantly when interacting with the control battery, which included the P-15 (or P-19), P-18, P-40 radar stations, the PRV-16 mobile radio altimeter and the K-1 "Crab" control cabin.
It is expected that the Indian Army will soon abandon its obsolete and heavily worn-out Kvadrat self-propelled air defense systems, the use of which is exacerbated by an acute shortage of spare parts.
SAM "Osa-AK"
In the late 1970s, almost simultaneously with the 2K12E Kvadrat SAM system, India acquired 80 9K33M2 Osa-AK mobile short-range missile systems armed with 9A33M2 surface-to-air missiles. Each combat vehicle carries six ready-to-use radio-guided SAMs.
The Indian Osa-AK air defense missile system's combat vehicle
The Osa-AK SAM system is based on a three-axle BAZ-5937 chassis, capable of reaching speeds of up to 80 km/h on the road. Its maximum afloat speed is 10 km/h. All radar components and the anti-aircraft missiles are housed on a single vehicle. The target acquisition radar, operating in the centimeter range, detects fighter-type targets at ranges of up to 40 km and an altitude of 5,000 m. Target engagement at ranges of 1,5–10 km and altitudes of 25–5,000 m was achieved with a kill probability of 0,5–0,85.
The fire battery includes four combat vehicles and a PU-12M battery command post. The regiment's command battery includes a PU-12M command post and a P-19 low-altitude target detection radar. The Osa-AK anti-aircraft missile regiment, assigned to tank and mechanized divisions, has three fire batteries and a command battery.
The Indian Army command held the Osa-AK air defense system in high regard, and in the 2000s, efforts were made to modernize and extend the service life of some of the existing systems. The electronics were upgraded, the 9M33M2 SAMs were refurbished and equipped with an improved radio-controlled fuse, and the base vehicles were overhauled.
According to reference data, the Indian Army could have had approximately 40 Osa-AK combat vehicles in service as of 2025. However, it appears that most of them are in storage. It is possible that the only unit currently operating the Osa-AK SAM system is the 436th Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment, which participated in the brief Indian-Pakistani armed conflict in May 2025.
Indian TV cameramen news Asian News International filmed an Osa-AK air defense system hitting several low-flying Pakistani aircraft. drones Turkish-made Yiha-III. However, like the Kvadrat system, the Osa-AK short-range air defense system has little time left in Indian service and will soon be replaced by modern air defense systems.
SAM systems "Strela-1M" and "Strela-10M"
In the mid-1970s, India received more than a hundred 9K31M Strela-1M short-range air defense systems on the BRDM-2 armored vehicle chassis to strengthen the air defense of its Ground Forces.
Combat vehicle of the Strela-1M air defense missile system
It was a very simple, even primitive, mobile anti-aircraft system. The combat vehicle, a standalone combat unit capable of operating independently of a unit, was equipped with a rotating launcher housing four anti-aircraft guided missiles housed in transport and launch containers, optical aiming and detection equipment, missile launch equipment, and communications equipment.
The launcher is an armored turret rotated by the gunner's muscle power. The front wall is made of bulletproof glass and inclined at an angle of 60°. The gunner/operator's station is located behind this glass. Launchers with anti-aircraft missiles are mounted on each side of the turret. Target acquisition and guidance are accomplished visually or using a radio direction finder, which detects targets with activated onboard radios, tracks them, and brings them into the optical sight's field of view. To engage aerial targets, the Strela-1M SAM system uses a single-stage 9M31M solid-fuel missile. Target acquisition and guidance are accomplished by a photocontrast seeker, whose operating principle is based on distinguishing a high-contrast target against the sky.
Despite its relative simplicity and low cost, this seeker could only function during daylight hours. The seeker's sensitivity allowed it to fire only at visually visible targets against overcast or clear skies, at angles greater than 20° between the sun and the target. At the same time, unlike the Strela-2M MANPADS, the use of a photocontrast seeker ensured the ability to destroy a target on a collision course. Due to the seeker's poor performance, the missile's hit probability was lower than that of other Soviet air defense systems in service at the time.
Under greenhouse range conditions, when firing at a MiG-17 fighter flying on a head-on course at a speed of 200 m/s, the kill probability did not exceed 0,5 at an altitude of 50 m. With an altitude of 1 km and a speed of 300 m/s, the kill probability was 0,1–0,4. The Strela-1M system could engage aircraft and helicopters at altitudes from 30 to 3,500 m, flying at speeds of up to 310 m/s at ranges from 0,5 to 4,2 km. Typically, a platoon of Strela-1M SAM systems (four combat vehicles) along with a platoon of ZSU-23-4 Shilka SAMs formed part of an anti-aircraft missile and artillery battery of a tank (mechanized) regiment.
To expand the combat capabilities of the Strela-1M air defense system, India in the mid-1990s explored the possibility of equipping the system's combat vehicle with launch containers for Strela-2M MANPADS missiles and incorporating a thermal imager into the targeting system, allowing it to detect and engage aerial targets at night. However, the project never progressed beyond the prototype stage. Compared to other Soviet-made air defense systems, the Strela-1M's service life in India was short-lived, and all were decommissioned in the early 21st century.
Since the Strela-1M SAM system had a relatively low kill probability and was unable to fire at night, and the BRDM-2's wheeled chassis was not always able to accompany tracked vehicles, it was replaced by the 9K35 Strela-10SV SAM system in 1976. An improved version of the Strela-10M appeared in 1979, and by the early 1980s, Indian air defense units had received up to 200 systems of this type.
Launch of the Indian Strela-10M air defense missile system
The Indian Strela-10M air defense system initially utilized the 9M37M SAM with a jam-resistant IR seeker, which differentiated between targets and flares based on their trajectory. This system is capable of engaging air attack weapons at ranges of 800–5,000 meters and altitudes of 25–3,500 meters. The probability of hitting a fighter-type target flying at 900 km/h with a single missile, in the absence of jamming, is 0,3–0,5.
A millimeter-wave radio rangefinder and a computer are used to determine the target's position and automatically calculate the SAM launch lead angles. The system was based on the MT-LB multipurpose lightly armored tractor, capable of traveling at speeds of up to 60 km/h and comparable in cross-country ability to tanks and tracked infantry fighting vehicles. Its road range is up to 500 km. The Strela-10M SAM system carries four ready-to-use missiles, with an additional four stored inside the combat vehicle. The command vehicle featured a passive radio direction finder. Centralized control of the Strela-10M SAM systems within a battery was to be accomplished by transmitting target designations and commands from the regiment air defense command post and the battery command post via VHF radios.
Battery operations were controlled from the PU-12M control center on the BTR-60 chassis. To ensure the control of subordinate units on the PU-12M, 3 VHF radio stations R-123M, HF / VHF radio station R-111 and radio relay station R-407 are installed, and there is also a telescopic mast 6 m high.
In 2012, a modernization program was launched for the remaining Strela-10M air defense missile systems (approximately 60 units). Along with a major overhaul of the base chassis, the vehicles' communications systems were replaced, and commanders were equipped with tablets that transmit air situational awareness and combat control commands via a secure radio channel. The gunner/operator received a high-resolution camera with a thermal imaging channel, expanding combat capabilities at night and in conditions of poor visibility. To replace the older 9M37M SAMs, new 9M333 missiles with an increased kill probability were purchased from Russia.
It is reliably known that three light self-propelled anti-aircraft missile regiments are currently armed with modernized Indian-made Strela-10M air defense systems. These self-propelled systems will likely remain in service for approximately another 10 years. It was reported that in May 2025, Indian military Strela-10M air defense systems, along with other mobile systems, participated in the interception of Pakistani drones.
Military version of the Akash air defense missile system
As mentioned in the previous publication dedicated to Indian object-based air defense systems (the active link is at the end of this article), the Akash medium-range air defense missile system was created in two versions: for the Air Force, which is responsible for the air defense of the country as a whole, and for the Air Defense Corps of the Ground Forces.
Both variants share the same SAMs, guidance, and detection systems, and are mobile. However, the Air Force version is better suited for long-term combat duty at well-equipped permanent positions, while the military system needed to be able to move over soft ground and rough terrain.
In this regard, for the military version of the Akash air defense system, the main elements of the system were planned to be placed on a tracked chassis even at the design stage, and the initial version of the self-propelled launcher (SPU) was made on the basis of the T-72 tank.
However, later the military decided that the T-72 tank chassis was too heavy, and they used the BMP-2 as a base for the SPU, and these self-propelled launchers were subsequently demonstrated at military parades.
The military modification, designated Battery Level Radar-III, uses Rajendra multi-functional fire control radars on a tracked chassis.
The military complex may also include a surveillance radar based on the Polish N-22 radar. This tracked radar, known as the BSR, is capable of detecting and tracking over 30 targets at a range of up to 100 km.
The Akash surface-to-air missile system was accepted into service with the Indian Army on May 5, 2015. According to the organization chart, four batteries are consolidated into a surface-to-air missile regiment. Currently, the Army's Air Defence Corps has two regiments: the 27th and 128th, with a total of 48 launchers equipped with Akash 1S SAMs, which have a maximum range of 30 km and an altitude reach of 20 km.
However, judging by photographs available online, not all batteries of these regiments are equipped with tracked systems. For example, at the Republic Day parade in 2019, missile launchers and guidance systems on wheeled, unarmored chassis were on display.
Akash 1S self-propelled air defense missile system wheeled launchers of the 128th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment during the Republic Day parade in 2019.
Also, a close examination of satellite images of the area around the Raja Sansi airfield, located near the city of Amritsar in the state of Punjab, where the 27th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment, also armed with the Akash 1S SAM system, is permanently stationed, reveals that a significant portion of this regiment's equipment is wheeled.
Google Earth satellite image: Akash air defense system components at Raja Sansi Airfield. The image was taken in April 2023.
During the operation of the Akash air defense missile system by combat units of the Air Defense Corps, it became clear that the system did not fully meet the requirements. Because the anti-aircraft missiles were located in the open on the launchers and were not protected from adverse weather conditions, their service life was significantly reduced. Subsequently, a decision was made to protect the missiles with special sealed covers, which house air conditioning, when the launched launchers were deployed outside of climate-controlled shelters.
Furthermore, early-production SAMs suffered from extremely low reliability, with approximately 30% of missiles failing after launch. Following this, the Indian Army Command demanded that Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), the SAM supplier, address the deficiencies and refused to award new contracts until the reliability issues were resolved. However, apparently, the parties later reached an agreement, and on March 30, 2023, the Indian Ministry of Defense signed contracts with BDL for the purchase of two regimental sets of the improved Akash Prime system worth $970 million.
Abhra (MR-SAM) air defense missile system
Due to the fact that the development of the Akash medium-range air defense system, which had been in development since the mid-1980s, was significantly delayed, the leadership of the military department initiated the modification of the Israeli-made Barak 1 naval system, which was equipped on 15 warships of the Indian Navy, for the needs of the army air defense.
The medium-range land-based air defense system, initially known as the MR-SAM, was developed by the Israeli companies Israel Aerospace Industries, Elta Systems, and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, in collaboration with the Indian companies Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), Kalyani Rafael Advanced Systems (KRAS), and Tata Advanced Systems (TASL). In May 2010, a $3 billion contract was signed for the development of the system, intended to replace the S-125M and 2K12E Kvadrat air defense systems currently in service. It was also announced that over 70% of the components in the new system would be Indian-made.
By 2017, the MR-SAM air defense system with the Barak 8 missile had reached the field testing stage, and in October 2024, Bharat Electronics and Israel Aerospace Industries announced the creation of a joint venture, BEL IAI AeroSystems, to provide technical support and maintenance for the MR-SAM throughout its life cycle in the Indian armed forces.
The anti-aircraft missile is approximately 4,5 meters long and weighs just over 300 kg with its booster. Its body diameter is 225 mm, and its booster diameter is 540 mm. Its wingspan is 0,94 m. Its target is hit by a 60 kg warhead, which is detonated by a proximity fuse. The missile's maximum flight speed is over 900 m/s. The vertical launch range of the missile is up to 90 km. Its ceiling is 20 km.
A model of the Barak-8 rocket, unveiled at the 2009 Paris Air Show. The larger-diameter first-stage booster is visible below.
The missile has a combined control system. Immediately after launch, the SAM is autopiloted onto a trajectory toward the target. The missile's course is then adjusted via radio commands, and during the final phase of flight, the active radar homing head is engaged. Upon approaching the target to the range where the active seeker engages, the second engine is ignited. In-flight guidance equipment transmits information to the missile and can retarget it after launch, increasing operational flexibility and reducing SAM consumption. The EL/M-2084 multifunctional detection, tracking, and guidance radar, with an instrumented range of over 400 km, is also capable of coordinating the actions of other air defense units in addition to controlling the Barak 8 SAM system. The EL/M-2084 radar and launchers are mounted on a Tata LPTA 3138 8x8 truck chassis.
Antenna post of the EL/M-2084 radar
In addition to a multifunctional radar, the anti-aircraft battery includes a mobile combat control post, three towed launchers with eight SAMs each, transport and loading vehicles, and diesel generators installed in vans on a truck chassis, providing an autonomous power supply.
Towed launcher for the MR-SAM air defense missile system with the Barak-8 SAM
In March 2022 and April 2025, a series of test firings took place, during which the ground-based version of the air defense system with the Barak-8 missile successfully intercepted several types of targets at various altitudes.
Final assembly of the missiles is known to take place at the Bharat Dynamics Limited facility in Hyderabad, Telangana. The main components of the SAMs are manufactured at the Indian-Israeli joint venture Kalyani Rafael Advanced Systems. At least 100 missiles are expected to be manufactured in India per year. After the MR-SAM entered service in 2021, it was renamed Abhra.
The Abhra air defense system currently equips the 503rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment, part of the Trishakti Corps, headquartered in North Bengal. The first battery was deployed at Jaisalmer Airfield in Rajasthan.
Google Earth satellite image: Abhra air defense system components at Jaisalmer airfield. The image was taken in April 2023.
In May 2025, Indian media reported that an Abhra air defense system intercepted a Pakistani Fatah-II missile, which has a range of up to 400 km, near Sirsa in Haryana. The Indian Army Air Defense Corps is expected to deploy five regiments armed with Abhra systems.
Anant Shastra (QR-SAM) air defense missile system
In September 2007, the Indian Ministry of Defense announced a tender for the development of a mobile air defense system, intended to replace the Soviet-made Osa-AK systems. Ultimately, the development of the new QR-SAM (Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile) air defense system was assigned to the Defense Research and Development Agency (DRDO), part of the Department of Defense Research and Development (DDRD). The surface-to-air missile was developed jointly with Bharat Electronics Limited and Bharat Dynamics Limited. The first test launch took place on June 4, 2017, from the Chandipur range in Odisha. Following the commencement of testing, the system was named Anant Shastra.
The anti-aircraft missile is launched from a launcher mounted on an Ashok Leyland or Tata Motors Transporter Erector Launcher 8x8 truck chassis. Each SPL contains six sealed transport and launch containers (TLCs), protecting the SAM from adverse weather conditions and external influences.
The missile weighs 270 kg, is 4,4 m long, and has a diameter of 220 mm. It engages aerial targets with a 32 kg warhead equipped with a laser fuse. The firing range is up to 35 km. The altitude reach is 12 km. The guidance principle is similar to that used on the Indian-Israeli Barak-8 SAM. It can simultaneously engage six targets, with two missiles targeting each. The probability of hitting a fighter-type target flying at high subsonic speeds with one missile, in the absence of countermeasures, is 0,8. If the target is fired at with two missiles under the same conditions, the probability of hit is 0,98.
The 360-degree surveillance and anti-aircraft missile guidance radars were developed by the Indian company Bharat Electronics Limited. The BSRV target acquisition radar operates in the 3,7–4,2 GHz frequency range and can detect targets with an RCS of 2 m² at a range of up to 120 km.
Mobile radar BSR
The BSRV mobile radar has an unusual design and has four active phased array antennas (AESA) for 360-degree airspace coverage.
The BMFR SAM guidance station operates in the 6,8–7,4 GHz frequency range and provides tracking of a fighter-type target at a range of up to 90 km.
BMFR anti-aircraft missile guidance station
To detect air targets in a complex jamming environment and guide anti-aircraft missiles at them, operators have at their disposal a passive optoelectronic system with a night channel.
An Anant Shastra battery consists of a mobile command post (BCPV) with communications equipment, a BSRV air surveillance station, a BMFR surface-to-air missile guidance station, four launchers carrying 24 ready-to-use missiles, transporter-loader vehicles, and mobile power generators. The three firing batteries form a regiment, which also has its own command battery with surveillance radars, a command post, and an Akashteer C4ISR mobile communications center, which provides real-time interaction with the Joint Air Defense Command and Control System.
Akashteer C4ISR Mobile Communications Center
Serious issues arose during the development of the Anant Shastra air defense system. For example, on September 22, 2022, the major Indian English-language print media outlet The Economic Times published an article stating that the system was having difficulty engaging helicopters hovering at low altitude, requiring modifications to the missile guidance system and software. The developer then began addressing the issues. On September 27, 2025, it was reported that Bharat Electronics Limited had received an order for the Anant Shastra air defense system. The Air Defence Corps plans to receive three regimental systems by 2028.
At the same time, critics of the QR-SAM project note that while the Indian-developed Anant Shastra system represents a significant advance and significantly exceeds the military Osa-AK in range, the new Indian air defense system cannot match the mobility and autonomous capability of the Soviet SAM system. In terms of its configuration and characteristics, the Anant Shastra is more like a short-range, point-based system suitable for deployment in rear areas, but incapable of tracking and providing air defense against air strikes for tank and mechanized units on the move.
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