News Excerpt:
Experts have calculated the cost of the April 13 attack for Iran at $100-$200 million — perhaps five to ten times less than what Israel spent to repel it. That means a huge recurring bill if Iran were to keep attacking.
More about News:
- Israel's air defense system comprises multiple expensive systems like Iron Dome, Arrow interceptors, Patriot missiles, and advanced fighter jets, operated by Israel, the US, UK, and France.
- Israel claims to have intercepted 99% of the over 300 missiles and drones launched by Iran in a recent attack, which is a strategic success
- This success came at a significant economic cost, which will recur in the event of more or bigger Iranian attacks.
- Iran launched 120 ballistic missiles, 30 cruise missiles, and around 170 UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles).
- Only a few ballistic missiles got through Israel’s defences, and caused minor damage to the Nevatim air base in southern Israel.
The difference between cruise and ballistic missiles
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Cruise missiles
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Ballistic missiles
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Operation
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Powered throughout flight, maneuverable.
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Powered only in the first phase of flight, not maneuverable.
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Range
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Typically 1,000 km, can be as much as 4000 km.
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From <1,000 km to > 10,000 km, missiles are classified according to range.
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Trajectory
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Low altitude, level trajectory — hard to detect.
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High altitude, parabolic trajectory — hard to detect.
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Precision
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High, up to a few meters — fit for small, moving targets.
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Low precision 100 m — fit for larger, stationary target.
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Speed
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Subsonic (<Mach 1) to hypersonic (>Mach 5) — slower than ballistic missiles, possible to intercept.
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Can hit targets at >25,000 km/h or >Mach 20 — very fast, extremely hard to intercept even with state of art technology.
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Potential solution for future
- To address the asymmetry in costs,
- Countries are now testing a different form of air defence, based on microwave and laser beams, which could, in theory, fire indefinitely as long as their power source is intact.
- The UK military tested a new laser weapon dubbed ‘DragonFire’.
- This experimental system was developed for about $40 million, and consumes energy worth only $13 to down a drone,
- Other countries such as the US, China, Russia, Iran, and Pakistan too are developing similar weapons.
- In India, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is reported to be testing a prototype of its DURGA-2 (Directionally Unrestricted Ray Gun Array) system.
- However, this technology is not battle-tested, and questions have been raised regarding their effective range and accuracy.
- They also require a steady source of energy on the battlefield.
- These types of cutting-edge weaponries have the potential to revolutionize the battlespace by reducing the reliance on expensive ammunition, while also lowering the risk of collateral damage,
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India’s Situation:
- India also has a land-based, two-tier ballistic missile defence (BMD) system, similar to Israel's Arrow Aerial Defence System
- The BMD system has been designed to track and destroy ballistic missiles, including those armed with nuclear warheads, both inside the earth's atmosphere (endo-atmospheric interception) and outside it (exo-atmospheric interception).
- India has developed a two-tier BMD system divided into Phase I and Phase II to intercept different ranges of ballistic missiles.
- Phase I involves the Prithvi Air Defence Vehicle (PAD)/Prithvi Defence Vehicle (PDV) for exo-atmospheric interception and the Advanced Air Defence (AAD) missile for endo-atmospheric interception up to 3,000 km range.
- Phase II is developing the AD-1 missile for long-range exo/endo interception and the AD-2 for intermediate ranges of 3,000-5,500 km.
- As of 2019, Phase I was completed and deployment to cover Delhi and Mumbai was expected soon. New radar sites were being set up as recently as 2022-2024 to support the system.
- In 2022, the maiden AD-1 missile test was conducted successfully for Phase II BMD.
- In April 2023, India successfully tested a sea-based endo-atmospheric BMD interceptor, working towards a naval BMD capability.
DURGA-2
- DURGA-2 stands for Directionally Unrestricted Ray Gun Array, which is a laser weapon system being developed by India's DRDO.
- It is a dream project aimed at developing a powerful laser weapon that can neutralize aerial threats like drones, ballistic missiles, and even fighter aircraft.
- Laser weapons are considered game-changers as they travel at the speed of light and promise 100% kill probability against threats.
- DURGA-2 is being developed by the Laser Science and Technology Centre (LSTC) in New Delhi under a highly classified project with a budget of $100 million.
- The LSTC has succeeded in developing a 25KW laser that can target ballistic missiles during the terminal phase at a maximum distance of 5 km currently.
- The goal is to enhance the range of the laser to 100 km or beyond.
- A key challenge is providing adequate power to the high-power laser weapon system.
- DURGA-2 is planned to be integrated with land, sea, and air-based platforms for defensive and offensive use against threats like ballistic missiles from China and Pakistan.
SAMAR
- SAMAR air defence missile system, developed in-house using old Russian-origin air-to-air missile systems.
- The missile system participated in the exercise AstraShakti 2023 for the first time to test its surface-to-air weapon systems and achieved firing trial objectives.
- The SAMAR system can engage aerial threats at a speed range of 2 to 2.5 Mach. It consists of a twin-turret launched platform
- The SAMAR air defence system has been developed by the 7 BRD
AKASH
- AKASH is a Short Range Surface to Air Missile system to protect vulnerable areas and vulnerable points from air attacks. AKASH Weapon System can simultaneously engage Multiple Targets in Group Mode or Autonomous Mode.
- It has built in Electronic Counter-CounterMeasures (ECCM) features. The entire weapon system has been configured on mobile platforms.
- AKASH Weapon Systems has been inducted and is operational with the Indian Air Force (IAF) as well as the Indian Army (IA)
S-400
- The S-400 Triumf is a highly capable and advanced air defense missile system developed by Russia's Almaz-Antey State Corporation.
- This system is designed to engage and neutralize various aerial targets, including aircraft, missiles (including tactical and theater ballistic missiles), and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), over long ranges.
key features and capabilities of the S-400 system:
- The S-400 can engage targets at ranges up to 400 km and altitudes up to 30 km, providing a multi-layered air defense umbrella.
- The system can simultaneously track and engage multiple targets, reportedly up to 300 targets at once.
- The S-400 employs four different types of missiles with varying ranges and altitudes, creating a layered defense network.
- The system is fully mobile, allowing for rapid deployment and relocation.
- Each S-400 system includes a 3D phased array acquisition radar, command and control center, automatic tracking, and targeting systems.
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