DefExpo 2016: Indian air defence still up in the air
The Indian Army currently has several air defence programmes on the go.
These include antiaircraft artillery, very short-range air defence systems (VSHORADS), which are outlined below, and short-range surface-to-air missiles (SR-SAM).
In March 2012 a leaked letter from the former army chief admitted that 97% of the army’s air defence assets were obsolete, confirming that the current situation is dire.
The army’s efforts to replace its old L/70 40mm and ZU-23-2 23mm antiaircraft guns were hampered after leading contender Rheinmetall Air Defence was blacklisted in 2012 after corruption charges were laid.
Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) is currently upgrading the L/70,
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