India to buy Israeli missile defense system

NEW DELHI—Indian army plans to induct the Israeli quick-reaction Spyder air defense system in order to provide air cover to its formations.
The army has finalised plans to acquire four regiments of the Spyder systems equipped with Derby surface-to-air radar guided missiles and Python-5 infra-red missiles from Israel's Rafael armament company, PTI reported quoting official sources.
The army, according to the report, has finalised the contract and the deal worth about Rs11b is awaiting the approval of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).
The Spyder systems will be mounted on indigenous Tata trucks and replace the army's Russian-made OSA-AKM and Strela-10M missile systems.
The road-mobile Spyder system was developed by Rafael along with the MBT missile division and ELTA radar division. It is capable of countering threats from helicopters, aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles and precision guided munitions.
The system can target aerial threats from one km to 35 km away. A Spyder squadron consists of a mobile command-n-control centre and four mobile firing units, each carrying up to six missiles.
The system is equipped with EL-M-2106 ATAR 3-D surveillance radar and two operating stations. The radar can simultaneously track up to 60 targets.—Agencies