The MRSAM provides protection against incoming enemy aircraft and tactical missiles. It is called a "network centric combat air defense system" and has been designed and developed by the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) in partnership with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).
Such is the military's and DRDO's confidence in this missile that it was operationally deployed in secret, even before it completed development. This was in September 2016, when the army was planning "cross border strikes" against Pakistan to avenge the killing of 19 Indian soldiers near Uri, Business Standard said adding:
"Pakistani retaliation was expected against a key IAF base, which was protected only by aging Soviet-era missiles. To fill this gap, the IAF's first MR-SAM unit, which was still being built in Hyderabad by Bharat Dynamics Ltd, was quietly airlifted to the vulnerable base. And when Indian commandos crossed the LoC on the night of September 28, 2016, the MRSAM was poised for operational use."
India's Acquisition of the S-400 Air Defense System
According to a report of the Journal of the Indo-Pacific Affairs of Air University Press dated August 25, India's quest for attaining superior military technology has materialized in New Delhi's purchase of the S-400 air defense system from Russia.
In October 2018, both states formally inked a US$5.43 billion deal in the annual India-Russia bilateral meeting in New Delhi. The Indian government has paid US$800 million to Russia as an advance payment and is expected to receive the first shipment of the S-400 regiments in late 2021.
India's acquisition of this state-of-the-art technology will have an impact on the strategic stability of the region, providing a robust sense of security to the Indian policy makers to execute lethal adventures in the region, with the assurance that India is invulnerable from any retaliatory attack, the Indo-Pacific Affairs said adding: India's acquisition of the S-400 will alter the strategic stability momentarily; however, Pakistan has the capability to counter this perceived advantage and rebalance the shift in strategic stability.
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