India has developed a counter-drone system in hard kill mode called 'Bhargavastra' as an answer to the growing menace of unmanned aerial threats.
What is Bhargavastra?
Designed by Solar Defence and Aerospace Limited (SDAL), the indigenous, low-cost system is going to be a significant part in the nation’s defence capabilities in countering Drone swarms with precision.
SDAL has defined 'Bhargavastra' as a 'Unified Solution for Countering Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Threats' with capabilities for detecting and eliminating small, incoming drones at distances of up to 2.5 km.
According to SDAL, its indigenous design and the development of dedicated rockets and micro-missiles to neutralise hostile UAVs.
"Furthermore, the system is modular and can have an additional soft-kill layer to include Jamming and Spoofing to provide an integrated and comprehensive shield for all branches of the armed forces," the report said.
This marks a big step towards the 'Make in India' mission, to be used for countering the escalating threat of drone swarms in the air defence umbrella.
This comes a week after India’s 'Operation Sindoor' against Pakistan, which faced several drone and missile attacks from the neighbouring country. The Indian Armed Forces were able to protect the citizens from the attacks with precision.
According to news agency ANI, the micro rockets have been tested at the Seaward Firing Range, Gopalpur and have reportedly achieved all designated objectives.
In the presence of Army Air Defence officials, three trials were conducted for the rocket at Gopalpur on May 1 and two other trials were conducted by firing one rocket each.
ANI reported that one trial was conducted by firing two rockets in salvo mode within 2 seconds.
All four rockets have performed as expected and achieved the required launch parameters.
ANI said, "It employs unguided micro rockets as the first layer of defence capable of neutralising swarm of drones with lethal radius of 20 meters and guided micro-missile (already tested earlier) as the second layer for pin point accuracy, ensuring precise and impactful neutralisation."
The report also described that this system is designed for seamless deployment across diverse terrains, including high-altitude regions (> 5000 m above sea level), and the system addresses the unique operational demands of India's armed forces.
ANI further wrote that, "The system being modular the sensors (Radar, EO & RF Receiver) and shooter can be configured as per user requirement and made to work in an integrated manner for layered and tiered AD cover, enabling engagement of targets at longer ranges. Further, the system is also engineered for seamless integration with existing network-centric warfare infrastructure."
"Equipped with a sophisticated Command-and-Control Centre featuring advanced C41 (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence) technology, the system's radar can detect minute aerial threats from 6 to 10 km away. Its Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) sensor suite further ensures precise identification of Low Radar Cross-Section (LRCS) targets. 'Bhargavastra' provides a comprehensive situational awareness overview, enabling operators to evaluate and counter individual drones or entire swarms," it added.
According to its developers, the system represents a significant stride in counter-drone technology, said ANI.
"Its open-source architecture suggests that while several advanced nations are developing similar micro-missile systems, a domestically conceived multi-layered and cost-effective counter-drone system with swarm neutralisation capabilities like 'Bhargavastra' is yet to be deployed anywhere else globally," it added.
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