India's Air Defence Prevails Against Pakistan Missiles: How S-400, Loitering Munitions, Hammer Work
India deployed loitering munitions, which comes with a warhead. They can loiter around the target area until a target is located; they then attacks the target by crashing into it
The Indian government said on Thursday that it has “neutralised" an “air defence system at Lahore" after Pakistan “attempted to engage a number of military targets in Northern and Western India".
“On the night of May 7-8, Pakistan attempted to engage a number of military targets in Northern and Western India including Awantipura, Srinagar, Jammu, Pathankot, Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, Chandigarh, Nal, Phalodi, Uttarlai, and Bhuj, using drones and missiles. These were neutralised by the Integrated Counter UAS Grid and Air Defence systems. The debris of these attacks is now being recovered from a number of locations that prove the Pakistani attacks," Press Information Bureau (PIB) statement read.
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Top government sources told CNN-News18 that Pakistan sent loitering munitions “at night in an attempt to damage our radars and attack India. However, the Air Force was ready and brought them down".
What Are Loitering Munitions?
As part of Operation Sindoor, India also deployed loitering munitions, also known as suicide drones, kamikaze drone, or exploding drone. It is a kind of aerial weapon with a munition (warhead), which can loiter (wait passively) around the target area until a target is located; it then attacks the target by crashing into it.
Loitering munitions enable faster reaction times against hidden targets that emerge for short periods without placing high-value platforms near the target area and also allow more selective targeting.
The earliest loitering munitions systems were used in the 1980s in Suppression of Enemy Air Defences (SEAD) against fixed Surface to Air Missiles (SAMs) installations. With time, the role of these LMs grew for short range (2-15 km), medium range (15-50 km) and long range (50-100 km) for various mission operations like anti-personnel, anti-bunker, anti-armour and the destruction of critical enemy assets like air bases, missile bases and other critical infrastructure.
The Indian Army has procured and inducted Loitering Munitions such as the Nagastra-1 by Solar Industries and the Warmate from WB Group of Poland. For instance, the Nagastra-1, manufactured indigenously by Solar Industries, can carry a 1.5 kg explosive payload over a range of 15 km, offering real-time surveillance and strike capabilities.
How Many Drones Does India Have?
The Indian Army recently received 480 loitering munitions made by a Nagpur-based defence manufacturing firm with over 75% indigenous content. Nagastra-1, the first indigenous Loiter Munition developed by Solar Industries in Nagpur supplied the complete lot of 480 loitering munitions in December, defence officials said. The system is man-portable, and light and is intended to be used for precision strike capabilities by the Army troops, officials said.
The SkyStriker drone, already in service, has a range of 500 km and is designed for Suppression of Enemy Air Defences (SEAD).
In March 2022, ZMotion Autonomous Systems successfully tested three loitering munitions in Ladakh, demonstrating their effectiveness at 40% lower costs than imported alternatives. Tata Advanced Systems’ ALS-50, a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drone that transitions to fixed-wing mode, has also completed successful trials at Pokhran.
In 2021, India’s Army demonstrated its capability with a 75-drone swarm, executing coordinated attacks over a 50 km range, as per The Economic Times report. By 2023, NewSpace Research & Technologies delivered an even more advanced system: a swarm of 100 drones designed for battlefield deployment.
More focus is being shown towards AI-driven drones capable of detecting enemy assets through acoustic censors. The National Aerospace Laboratories is working on a stealthy, long-range loitering munition weighing 150 kg, designed to strike targets 900 km away with an endurance of 6-9 hours.
What Is An Air Defence System?
India has a wide range of advance air defence systems, including the S-400 Triumf system and Akash-NG missile. Along with Israel, India has created the Barak 8 system, which can defend against threats from medium to long distances. Let us look at some of the air defence systems that India has.
S-400 System: Called ‘Sudarshan Chakra’ by the Indian military, the S-400 is made in Russia and can track targets up to 600 km and intercept them at distances of up to 400 km. India has four S-400 squadrons. One covers Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab from Pathankot, and another protects key areas in Rajasthan and Gujarat. The S-400 has a “multifunction radar, autonomous detection and targeting systems, anti-aircraft missile systems, launchers, and command and control centre". It comes with improved electronic counter-countermeasures to thwart attempts at jamming while its radars are capable of detecting low-signature targets.
Akash Air Defence System: It is a short-range surface to air missile system (SAM) to protect vulnerable areas and points from air attacks. It was indigenously designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and is produced by Hyderabad-based Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL). The missile was inducted into the Indian Air Force in 2014 and in the Indian Army in 2015. In 2022, Armenia became the first foreign country to buy this missile system. The system features a launcher, a missile, a control centre, an integral mission guidance system, a multifunctional fire control radar, a system arming and explosion mechanism, a digital autopilot, C4I (command, control communication and intelligence) centres and supporting ground equipment. The Akash system protects a moving procession of vehicles using an electronic counter-countermeasures (ECCM) system. Akash was also tested in a ballistic missile role and offers air defence missile coverage of 2,000km².
HAMMER Bombs: HAMMER (Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range) bombs, modular air-to-ground precision weapons, often referred to as a glide bomb, were reportedly used to strike Pakistan. With a range of up to 70 km, it can be integrated with standard bomb payloads. The HAMMER is resistant to electronic jamming and can be launched from low altitudes over challenging terrain. Its ability to evade interception and breach fortified targets makes it a highly effective strike weapon. HAMMER bombs are known for their adaptability. The kits can be attached to bombs ranging from 125 kg to 1,000 kg, and their 70 km strike range means Indian jets can stay clear of enemy radar and missile systems. The system is designed for both stationary and moving targets, and these bombs are ideal for neutralising terror launchpads and command posts.
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