Big push to defence: Indian Army Inducts Swathi Mk2 radar for mountain surveillance

To fortify nation's battlefield surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, Indian Army inducted lighter and more compact version of indigeusly developed Weapon Locating Rar (WLR-M) called "Swathi Mountains." induction ceremony took place on August 5, 2023, at Agra, where Lieutenant General JB Chaudhari, Deputy Chief of Army Staff (DCOAS) for Capability Development and Sustenance (CD&S), flagged off rar system.

(Photo Credit: @gpi)

Swathi Mountains WLR is an vanced electronically scanned phased array rar, specifically designed for operations in mountaius and high-altitude areas and was developed by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) in Bengaluru.

What is a Weapon Locating Rar?

Weapon Locating Rar (WLR) stands as a critical asset for modern militaries, employing vanced signal processing techniques to automously detect and track hostile artillery, mortars, and rocket launchers. tably, it even tracks friendly fire trajectories, enabling precise calculations for more accurate artillery strikes. rar's sophistication lies in its ability to detect and track small projectiles across battlefield while factoring in environmental conditions for precise launch and impact point estimations.

(Photo Credit: @gpi)

A hallmark of WLR is its high mobility and swift deployment capabilities, allowing it to apt to changing operational requirements efficiently. Its slewable platform furr enhances its agility, enabling scanning of different areas without need for physical repositioning. Ensuring effectiveness in hostile environments, rar is designed with survivability and resistance to electronic warfare measures in mind. WLR also acts as a potent friendly force multiplier by providing critical information on enemy weapon systems.

older version of India's Swathi WLR (Plains) operates on a passive phased array system with side lobe levels, making it capable of handling simultaneous fire from weapons deployed at multiple locations. It can effectively process a high density of returned signals caused by various factors such as wear conditions, ground clutter, and aerial objects, enabling it to provide real-time information for mission success.

Swathi Plains vs. Swathi Mountains

Swathi rar comes in two versions: Swathi Plains (WLR) and Swathi Mountains (WLR-M). Swathi Plains version is primarily designed to locate hostile guns, mortars, and rockets, and it can also track fall of shot from friendly weapons for corrective measures on flat terrains like Plains, as name of version suggests.

On or hand, Swathi Mountains version, one inducted yesterday, is a more compact and mobile version specifically designed for operations in mountaius and high-altitude terrains. WLR-M, or Swathi Mountains, is capable of detecting mortar shells and rockets and tracking projectiles. It classifies projectile and n-projectile targets, rejecting unwanted signals like birds, clutter, and aircraft. Moreover, it offers trajectory estimation and launch/impact point extrapolation, automatically correcting for height to enhance accuracy. rar system is equipped to store and display trajectory data and maintain communication with higher echelons for better coordination.

Swathi's Success

Ministry of Defence signed contracts on March 30, 2023, for procurement of an improved Akash Weapon System and 12 Weapon Locating Rars (WLR) Swathi (Plains) for Indian Army, worth over Rs 9,100 crore.Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated, "A welcome development, which will boost self-reliance and particularly help MSME sector."

Last year, IA ordered six ditional Swathi WLR-M systems. With inclusion of recent orders for Swathi Plains rar, IA will soon operate a total of 48 such systems. initial order of Swathi rars was delivered by BEL in 2007 and was accepted by IA in 2008. As of today, according to estimates, IA operates 30 Swathi MK 1 rars, with 12 more on order. ditionally, induction of MK 2 rars began yesterday.

Also, in March 2020, India exported four Swathi Weapons Locating Rars to Armenia valued at $40 million. Both countries are currently discussing expanding ir collaboration for defence equipment sales.