SAMAR Air defence system

• The Indian Air Force successfully testfired its SAMAR air defence missile system.

ABOUT SAMAR DEFENCE SYSTEM

• SAMAR is a short-range air-defence system jointly developed by the IAF’s 7 Base Repair Depot (BRD) and 11 BRD in association with Indian private-sector companies Simran Flowtech Industries and Yamazuki Denki.
• The system provides air defence against low-flying aerial targets with a maximum striking range of 12 km.
• It can engage aerial threats with missiles operating at a speed range of 2 to 2.5 Mach.
• SAMAR employs the IAF’s shelf-life-expired Russian Vympel R-73E infrared‐guided air-to-air missiles (AAMs).
• The AAMs are refurbished and upgraded to perform surface-to-air roles and the missiles can be launched in both single and salvo mode.
• The system comprises launch beams, a fire-control unit, an electronic control unit, and auxiliary units including a self-loading knuckle crane, a power supply system, and a servo mechanism feedback unit.
• SAMAR is intended to replace the IAF’s Pechora systems, which have been in service since the 1970s.