SAAB offers man portable air defence system to Indian Army
20 Sep 2011
New Delhi: Swedish defence major Saab said last week it was offering its RBS-70NG man-portable air defence system to the Indian Army to meet its requirements for shoulder fired missiles. "The RBS-70 NG is a contender for procurement of Very Short Range Air Defence (VSHORAD) man-portable air defence (MANPAD) missile for Indian Army," Saab said in a release in New Delhi.
The Indian Army currently has the Russian Igla missile systems, much like the Indian Navy.
The army had apparently issued a Request for Information (RFI) in this regard recently and is reported to be readying to soon issue a formal tender.
"We believe the RBS-70NG meets requirements of Indian Army for a system that has multiple target seeking and tracking capabilities, multi-launcher capability, ability to deploy from high mobility vehicles and ship and submarine naval vessels and aerial target detection capability", Saab India head Inderjit Sial said.
Saab said the RBS-70NG has been equipped with "a new sighting system, improved precision and increased all-target capability."
The company claims the RBS 70NG has an effective intercept range of 8 km, with altitude coverage in excess of 5 km.
