Air defence system set up to protect Delhi on R-Day
Airspace in and around the National Capital during the Republic Day festivities will be protected by ‘Delhi Air Defence System’, a multi-layered shield designed to protect the city from aerial threats.
It comprises various components, including surface-to-air missiles used to intercept and destroy incoming aircraft, drones and missiles.
Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) planes and drones will provide crucial situational awareness, detecting and tracking potential threats from long distances.
Fighter jets will be deployed to monitor the country’s western frontier to intercept and engage hostile aircraft in the air.
This multi-layered system has been fine-tuned for high-profile events like the Republic Day. The possible threats include slow-moving small drones launched locally, missiles and even planes.
To tackle these threats, the first step are radars and airborne sensors that will pick up the ‘threat’; second is to conclusively identify what the object is; third the command-and-control mechanism at the ‘operations directive centre’ will decide what could be the best weapon to tackle the threat.
The IAF fast speed networks and nodes do the graded process of assessment in real time. Air defence missiles that can launch to bring down an airborne target are in state of readiness. This includes surface-to-air defence missile systems like the Medium Range Surface to Air Missile (MRSAM) which can bring down threats at 70-80 km range.
A counter-drone system has been deployed to tackle slow-flying rogue drones.
The airborne early warning systems mounted on planes will be in air and drones which will provide 24x7 coverage of the area and a wide arc of almost 1,500 km.
