India’s indigenous aircraft carrier 1 (IAC 1) INS Vikrant will soon be getting air defence cover from the Long-range Surface-to-air missile (LRSAM) system after the U.S. Navy started integration work of the missile system onboard INS Vikrant. INS Vikrant will also be getting DRDO developed Vertical Launch Short Range Surface to Air Missile (VL-SRSAM) that will supplement the LRSAM system for intercepting aerial threats to the aircraft carrier.
The LRSAM is a joint development by the IAI and the DRDO, that has a range of 70+km and offers broad aerial and point defence against a wide range of threats to the marine arena from the air, sea, or land. VL-SRSAM has a range of 40km and they are talks of DRDO working on an extended LRSAM-ER variant for the Indian Navy which will feature an additional booster stage that will enable it to take down aerial targets at a range of 150+km.
INS Vikrant, also known as Indigenous Aircraft Carrier 1 (IAC-1), is an aircraft carrier constructed by Cochin Shipyard in Kochi, Kerala for the Indian Navy. It is the first aircraft carrier to be built in India. The name Vikrant (Sanskrit vikrÄnta, literally “stepping beyond”) means “courageous”. It is 262 metres (860 ft) long and 62 metres (203 ft) wide, and displaces about 40,000 metric tons (39,000 long tons). It features a STOBAR configuration with a ski-jump. The deck is designed to enable aircraft such as the MiG-29K to operate from the carrier.
Long-range Surface-to-air missile (LRSAM) is an ER (extended range) variant of the Barak 8 is under development, which will see the missiles maximum range increased to 150 km. Israel has completed the test of a new LRSAM that can destroy a target 150 km away on March 22 2021. The extended range interceptor reaches an altitude of 30 kilometers (18.6 miles). The missile has been designed to shoot down aircraft, helicopters, drones, anti-ship missiles, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles. The missile is expected to equip the Indian Navy’s future Visakhapatnam-class destroyers.
