As part of its efforts to strengthen short-range air defense capabilities, the Indian Army has confirmed the purchase of new Tunguska air defense systems from Russia, which will require an investment of around 47 million dollars to be carried out. The agreement in question was signed on March 27 in the city of New Delhi together with a delegation from the Russian state company Rosoboronexport, the same occasion on which the Indian government also closed a new agreement to guarantee the maintenance of its P-8I Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, this together with the local subsidiary of the American company Boeing.
Regarding this new operation, the Ministry of Defence of India stated in its official channels: “The contract for the acquisition of Tunguska air defense missile systems, valued at 445 million rupees, for the Indian Army, was signed with JSC Rosoboronexport, of Russia, in the presence of the Defence Secretary, Rajesh Kumar Singh. These latest-generation missiles will enhance India’s multilayered air defense capabilities against aerial threats, including aircraft, drones and cruise missiles. The agreement will further strengthen the strategic defense partnership between India and Russia.”
Expanding on some details, we can state that the agreement in question will provide the Indian Army with a tracked self-propelled system, which has been specially designed to accompany ground units to provide them with short-range coverage. Also known as the SA-19 Grison (by its NATO designation), the Tunguska is characterized by combining both surface-to-air missiles and 30 mm automatic cannons, which allows it to neutralize a wide range of threats including combat aircraft, drones and missiles deployed by the enemy.
For this purpose, the Tunguska air defense system makes use of missiles belonging to the 9M311 family, with which Indian troops will be able to shoot down targets located at maximum distances of between 8 to 10 kilometers flying at altitudes of up to 3,500 meters; this is complemented by the cannons which have a rate of fire of between 4,000 and 5,000 rounds per minute. In addition to these armaments, the systems operate alongside a radar capable of detecting potential targets at a range of 18 kilometers, which is said to be resistant to various electronic interference equipment.
In the specific case of India, it is also useful to recall that the Tunguska was already part of the Army’s arsenals, with estimates indicating around 80 operational units by 2024; it is still unknown how much this number will be expanded with the new acquisition. Other users of the system around the globe, in addition to Russia as manufacturer, include Belarus, Myanmar, Morocco and Ukraine.
Finally, it is worth highlighting that the partnership between Russia and India in the field of air defense systems extends beyond the Tunguska models recently acquired, also encompassing the naval domain. Along these lines, it should be noted that New Delhi signed a contract at the beginning of this month to acquire new Shtil surface-to-air missile systems to equip its Navy’s ships, for which around 237 million dollars will have to be spent. In addition, both countries are negotiating the purchase of more S-400 air defense systems that would be intended to equip the Indian Air Force as a longer-range air defense system, in this case an agreement worth around 1.1 billion dollars.
*Images used for illustrative purposes
You may also like: The Indian Navy could soon receive its first Rafale fighters for pilot training
