The Indian Ministry of Defence has issued a Request for Data (RFI) for the procurement of 23-mm anti-drone ammunition geared toward enhancing the Indian Military’s air defence capabilities. This initiative is a part of the “Make in India” marketing campaign, encouraging native manufacturing of defence gear. The ammunition is particularly supposed to be used with the prevailing Zu-23mm and Schilka weapon techniques, that are excessive price of fireside anti-aircraft techniques presently employed by the Military Air Defence for offering level air defence to vital areas.
The RFI specifies the necessity for ammunition with a proximity or timed fuse, which must be able to being initiated in proximity to drones or loitering munitions to extend hit chance. That is necessitated by the challenges posed by drones, particularly these of the Commercially Off the Shelf (COTS) selection, which have a low radar cross-section, small measurement, and better survivability, making them troublesome to counter with current ammunition.
The brand new ammunition is designed to have sufficient fragmentation to trigger injury or destruction to drone targets, with specs guaranteeing compatibility with the Zu-23mm and Schilka techniques.
Each defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs) and personal distributors are eligible to answer this RFI, with the objective of figuring out succesful producers to undertake this manufacturing. The doc underlines the strategic significance of countering unmanned aerial threats, referencing current conflicts the place drones have performed a major position in fight situations.
This transfer in direction of specialised anti-drone ammunition displays a broader pattern in fashionable warfare the place counter-drone applied sciences have gotten more and more vital.
