Medium-range surface-to-air missile (MRSAM) systems

• India and Israel have inked defence deals worth over $2 billion for advanced medium-range surface-to-air missile (MRSAM) systems.
• As part of the deal, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) will provide the Indian Army with Barak-8 advanced MRSAM systems.

About MRSAM system:

• Each MRSAM weapon system comprises of 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 canisterised 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 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.
• The 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 missile's explosive warhead, featuring a self-destruct fuse, provides high-probability of kill against enemy targets with minimal collateral damage.
• 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 high-probability of kill against enemy targets with minimal collateral damage.
• The MRSAM surface-to-air missile is powered by a dual-pulse solid propulsion system developed by DRDO.
• The MRSAM is a land-based configuration of the long-range surface-to-air missile (LRSAM) or Barak-8 naval air defence system, which is designed to operate from naval vessels.

By: Vishal