The Indian Army will get a big boost.
Indian Armed Forces: Air defense is the greatest weapon of any country’s strength. It protects against enemy missiles, drone, and aircraft attacks. The havoc caused by drones in the current war scenario is not hidden from anyone. Learning from the existing situation, the Indian Army has also taken a major decision. The Indian Army is going to procure special anti-drone ammunition for its air defense guns. The army issued the first tender for the year 2025. The special thing is that all these purchases will be made from domestic companies.
The Indian Army has various types of air defense guns. Almost all guns have also been upgraded according to today’s standards. The air defense guns Zu-23 and its tracked version Shilka will specifically fire anti-drone ammunition. In the RFI released by the army, this information has been sought from indigenous companies. The 23mm rounds should have the feature of proximity or air burst fuses. This means that if fired at any drone, it should explode upon nearing it and destroy the drone. The fuse should be pre-programmed to destroy any loitering munitions within a range of 1000 meters to 2500 meters.
The cartridge of this ammunition must fit into the Zu-23 and Shilka air defense systems. No modifications will be made to the gun. It should have the capability to accurately hit targets at an altitude of 14,000 feet. It is essential that it can be easily used in temperatures ranging from minus 25 degrees to minus 45 degrees. The shelf life of this ammunition should not be less than 10 years. The Indian Army is planning to purchase 200,000 rounds of anti-drone ammunition every year.
Anti-drone ammunition will be fired from Z-23.
The ZU-23 is a Russian gun. It was acquired from Russia in the early 80s. It is a double-barrel gun. One barrel can fire 800 rounds and both barrels can fire a total of 1600 rounds per minute. This gun is used manually. It can shred any potential target within 2 to 2.5 km. The Indian Army has 7 to 8 regiments of this. Each regiment has 24 guns. Since this is a light gun, it can also be towed. Its parts can be separated, and 5 to 6 soldiers can assemble it anywhere. They are deployed in Siachen and high altitude areas.
