SAMAR Air Defence Missile System

About SAMAR Air Defence Missile System

• Surface to Air Missile for Assured Retaliation (SAMAR) is a short-range air-defence system. 
• It has been developed by a unit under the IAF’s Maintenance Command.
• The system is credited with a maximum range of 10–12 km and is used against low-flying aerial targets.
• It can engage aerial threats with missiles operating at a speed range of 2 to 2.5 Mach.
• The SAMAR-1 system uses the IAF's existing inventory of shelf-life-expired Russian Vympel R-73E infrared‐guided air-to-air missiles (AAMs) for the surface-to-air role.
• The system features a twin-turret launch platform capable of launching two missiles in single and salvo modes, depending on the threat scenario.
• Each missile launcher had an electro-optic system visible.
• It is expected to supplement the IAF’s Akash and SPYDER systems, replacing the ageing improved Pechora and OSA-AK systems.

Key Facts about Akash Missile (SAM) Defence System

• It is a Short-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (SRSAM) Defence System to protect vulnerable areas and points from air attacks.
• It was indigenously designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). 
• Features:
  • It can simultaneously engage multiple targets and destroy maneuvering targets, including unmanned aerial vehicles, fighter aircraft, cruise missiles, and missiles launched from helicopters.
  • It has built-in Electronic Counter-Counter Measures (ECCM) features.
  • The entire weapon system has been configured to be launched from static or mobile platforms such as battle tanks and wheeled trucks, providing flexible deployment.
  • It is road and rail transportable, with quick mobilization and deployment capabilities.
  • It can engage aerial targets up to a range of approximately 25km.

Q1) What is infrared radiation?

Infrared radiation (IR), sometimes referred to simply as infrared, is a region of the electromagnetic radiation spectrum where wavelengths range from about 700 nanometers (nm) to 1 millimeter (mm)Infrared waves are longer than visible light waves but shorter than radio waves. Correspondingly, the frequencies of IR are higher than microwave frequencies but lower than visible light frequencies, ranging from about 300 gigahertz to 400 terahertz (THz).It is invisible to human eyes but that we can feel as heat. 

Source: Indian Air Force successfully testfires 'SAMAR' air defence missile system at Exercise Astrashakti