India's cruise missile defense system consists of an early warning system composed of an array of ground-based, 2 dimensional tracking, MTD and CFAR processing, integral IFF mobile surveillance radars of the INDRA-I and II series. To cover the many gaps in aerial surveillance, both India and Pakistan have deployed tethered aerostat radars (blimps) at regular geographic intervals. The United States has armed Pakisthan with L-88 aerostats - of which they currently have none but are in the process of procuring six. India, on the other hand, has decided to procure the very formidable Israeli EL/M-2083 Aerostat radars, of which we currently already have two deployed in the Rann of Kutch and Punjab.
Our defence analysts estimate that India will need a total of 13 aerostat radar, swith each one capable of providing three-dimensional low-altitude coverage equivalent to 30-40 ground-based radars to cover its land borders alone. In Jan 2009, the Navy announced that it would be procuring two Israeli aerostat radars of its own for coastal surveillance; the IAF announced in December 2008 that it would be deploying 3 Israeli-made aerostats around New Delhi in response to an intelligence alert of a threat from low-flying aircraft; and the Times quoted Defence Ministry sources as saying India was on course to acquiring four more Israeli tethered aerostats of the EL/M-2083 version. All of these have been cleared by the Defence Acquisitions Council (fast-tracked after the Mumbai madness). So that takes our total acquisitions of the EL/M-2083 aerostats to 11 at a total cost of $445 million. Interestingly, the EL/M-2083 is a simpler version of the EL/M-2080 Green Pine, of which India used the two imported from Israel in 2001-02 to develop its own long-range surveillance radar used in last year's test of the exo-atmospheric BMD system.
Then ofcourse, there are the IAF C2-networked Phalcon AWACs for which we signed a 1.1 billion dollar deal for 3 and recently obtained our first (apparently, we're in talks to acquire 3 more); the Navy's old Ka-31 mounted AEW's; the IAF's old twin Bariev-A50 AWACs contracted from Russia in 2000 (don't know if the lease has expired); and the 'Eye in the Sky' project ofcourse between the Centre for Airborne Systems and Brazil's Embraer: the militarize ERJ-145 has been chosen as the dedicated platform with a radar developed by the Electronics and Radar Development Establishment that is very similar to the Saab Erieye AESA radar mounted on Pakistan's Saab-2000 turboprop fleet. The platform and radar choice are not my ideal configuration - for the G550 Phalcon would have rendered greater systems commonality, and the radar has some blind spots around the plane's dorsal blade configuration, but apparently flight paths and patterns can be planned to mitigate those gaps (Pakisthan certainly seems tuh think so.)
As for the actual missile interception and defense, we've procured 18 systems of the SPYDER surface-to-air Python 5 and Derby Air defence missile system - that was what was reported by the press, although the contract is for an "undisclosed" number of systems. The SPYDER is superb, it has a 360° engagement capability, can launch missiles from full state of readiness in less than five seconds from target confirmation, can track simultaneously upto 60 targets in any weather day and night, has a kill range from less than 1 km. to more than 15 km. at altitudes from a minimum of 20 m. to a maximum of 9,000 m, and includes advanced electronic counter countermeasures for operation in dense hostile electronic warfare environments. The high probability of kill ratio from its Lock-on-Before-Launch mode gives the system has a high degree of precision against short range, high-maneuvering targets and also enables the engagement of designated targets via add on optical sensors. OTOH, targets beyond seeker acquisition range are neutralized by missiles launched in the LOAL mode. Rafale is apparently in the mood to developa a medium-range SPYDER-MR version which has a range of over 35km at altitudes from 20m to 16km. We might procure the same.
