After drone, missile purchases, Army moves to upgrade air defence training

📌 Summary:

• The Indian Army has initiated procurement of three target systems to train troops against evolving aerial threats, after recent emergency-route purchases of drones and air-defence missiles
• Via three Requests for Information (RFIs), it seeks: the Intermediate Target System (Rocket) for firing IR-guided air-defence missiles; the Basic Target System (Swarm Drones); and the Basic Target System (Multirotor Copter) to simulate a slow-moving helicopter
• The Army notes the air threat is rapidly evolving beyond 4th/5th-generation aircraft and smart bombs to include cruise missiles and Unmanned Aerial Systems
• The swarm-drone target (a set of 12 drones) is to be engaged by Directed Energy Weapons and other AD weapons at 2-5 km; individual drones should be recoverable and reusable
• The aim is to empower training institutes and Army Air Defence units to counter drone swarms and missile-like threats

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 — internal and airspace security, defence modernisation, and counter-drone capability.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• RFI = Request for Information, an early stage of defence procurement
• Directed Energy Weapons (DEW) are envisaged to counter drone swarms
• The three systems: Intermediate Target System (Rocket), Basic Target System (Swarm Drones), Basic Target System (Multirotor Copter)

🔑 Key Term: Directed Energy Weapon (DEW) — a weapon (e.g., a high-energy laser) that damages targets using concentrated electromagnetic energy, increasingly used in counter-drone roles.