News Brief
Indian Army To Acquire Rs 30,000 Crore Indigenous ‘Anant Shastra’ QRSAM Air Defence System
(DRDO/Twitter) (Representative Image)
The Indian Army has initiated the process to procure five to six regiments of its next-generation ‘Anant Shastra’ surface-to-air missile weapon system, aiming to sharpen air defence capabilities along the frontiers with Pakistan and China, according to an India Today report.
Officials confirmed that a tender has been issued to the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to deliver the indigenous system, earlier known as the Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QRSAM).
Estimated to cost about Rs 30,000 crore, the project is expected to provide a crucial boost to India’s layered air defence network.
The move comes in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, where Pakistani drones equipped with Chinese systems were neutralised by a mix of Army and Air Force assets.
During the four-day engagement, Army Air Defence units relied heavily on L-70 and Zu-23 guns, while longer-range platforms such as Akash, MRSAM, Spyder and Sudarshan S-400 batteries played pivotal roles.
Anant Shastra air defence systems are highly mobile as they have the capability to search and track targets on the move and can fire at short halts, officials were mentioned as saying in the report.
With an effective range of around 30 km, the system is designed to complement existing Akash and MRSAM systems, covering the short-to-medium envelope.
The Defence Acquisition Council had cleared the programme shortly after Operation Sindoor.
Once inducted, the system will be deployed along the western and northern borders, enhancing quick-response capability against evolving aerial threats.
Parallel investments are being made in radars, jammers, laser-based systems and very short-range air defence platforms to counter Turkish and Chinese drones.
Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi has consistently emphasised the need for increasing indigenisation in the forces.
Future additions are expected to include the Zorawar light tank and other homegrown defence systems.
