Key Points
- The Indian Army is opting for the Israeli Spyder SAM system over the indigenous Akash system
- India’s army and air force continue to clash over which air-defence assets should be acquired and who should operate them
The Indian Army is likely to opt for the short-range version of Israel’s Spyder surface-to-air missile (SAM) system to boost its obsolete air-defence assets because the indigenously developed Akash (Sky) SAM has failed to “adequately” meet its operational requirements, according to industry sources.
The Rafael/Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI)-designed Spyder system, the short-range version of which is effective out to 20 km, had recently been shortlisted for procurement by the army to address a short-range SAM requirement following trials in 2013-14 that featured rival systems from Sweden and Russia.
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