India to buy US missile system to create multi-layered aerial shield for Delhi

India is in the process of acquiring the National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System-II (NASAMS-II) from the US. The NASAMS-II, along with the Israeli, Russian and home-made systems, will be used to create the ambitious multi-layered missile shield over Delhi to safeguard the capital against aerial threats, ranging from drones to ballistic missiles.

Defence ministry sources told Times of India that the US is likely to send the final draft of the letter of acceptance for the sale of NASAMS-II to India by July-August. The missile system is likely to cost India Rs 6,000 crore or almost $1 billion.

According to the daily, once the deal is signed, the deliveries will take place in two to four years. Several rounds of negotiations have already taken place including selection of sites for deployment of the missile batteries around Delhi.

US is also mounting pressure on India to consider its Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) and Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC-3) missile defence systems. However, the MoD sources said that it is unlikely that India will scrap its defence deal with Russia for five squadrons of S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile systems.

While the defence system is meant to shield Delhi, the S-400 Triumf missiles are for strategic deterrence along the borders.

The innermost layer protection by NASAMS will be a combination of different weapons like surface-to-air missiles, gun systems and AIM-120C-7 AMRAAMs (advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles). It will be backed by three-dimensional Sentinel radars, fire-distribution centres and command-and-control units, as per the daily.

The second layer will be protected by the mobile S-400 systems. The outermost layer will be protected by DRDO-developed ballistic missile defence system. After that the Barak-8 medium-range surface-to-air missile systems, jointly developed by the DRDO and Israeli Aerospace Industries will be at work.

Also read: US approves sale of two missile defence systems for Air India One

Also read: India signs $5.4-billion deal to buy 5 S-400 missile systems from Russia