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Home / IAS Preparation / Igla-S Air Defence System

Igla-S Air Defence System: Overview, Key Features & Significance

Last Updated on Dec 17, 2024
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Igla-S Air Defence System, also known as SA-24 Grinch in the NATO nomenclature, is a highly effective short-range MANPADS of Russian origin. This highly maneuverable system targets aircraft that are very close to the ground, such as helicopters, and unmanned aerial vehicles, at high precision. This is one of the main reasons several countries have widely accepted the system due to reliability, mobility, and its capability of successfully destroying aerial threats.

The Igla-S Air Defence System is a topic under General Studies Paper III of the UPSC Examination, specifically under the subject of Internal Security. Understanding military technology and defense capabilities is important for topics related to national security, defense preparedness, and geopolitical strategies, which are relevant to this paper.

GS Paper

General Studies Paper III

Topics for UPSC Prelims

MANPADS, Defence Procurement Procedure, Defense Acquisition Procedure

Topics for UPSC Mains

India's procurement of IGLA-S, Role of IGLA-S in modern warfare, India's military capabilities

About the Igla-S Air Defence System

The Igla-S, for short, means "Igla Super," or a sophisticated derivative of the Igla MANPADS. The Russian defense firm KB Mashinostroyeniya created the Igla-S; it has higher precision and range than its antecedents while increasing the lethality of this device. The system works based on passive infrared homing guidance, allowing it to search and destroy targets based on heat emission. The Igla-S can be taken around and erected in a location by an infantryman alone, so portability is a highly versatile attribute for air defence.

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Key Features of the Igla-S Air Defence System

Igla-S Air Defence System has various remarkable features that contribute to its efficacy:

  • Range and Speed: Igla-S can be launched within an operational range of up to 6 kilometers, which can hit the target from altitudes of up to 3.5 kilometers. It flies at a remarkable speed of about 570 meters per second.
  • Warhead and Payload: Equipped with a 1.5-kilogram high-explosive fragmentation warhead, the Igla-S can cause extensive damage upon impact. The warhead is designed to detonate close to the target to increase the likelihood of incapacitation.
  • Guidance System: It uses a dual-band infrared homing seeker coupled with a cryogenic cooling system, which enhances target acquisition and tracking accuracy even in hostile environmental conditions.
  • Portability: It is light and man-portable, hence it can easily be moved and repositioned by infantrymen without having to rely on heavy transport vehicles for movement.
  • Countermeasure Resistance: It is designed with highly developed countermeasure resistance features that make it capable of discriminating between a real target and decoys. It therefore is not likely to be spoofed by flares or any other countermeasures.

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Significance of the Igla-S Air Defence System

There are strategic benefits from adding the Igla-S into the nation's defense inventory.

  • Air Defence Capability Enhancement: This allows any country to have greater assurance regarding its air defense ability against a wide range of airborne threats, particularly at the lower altitudes.
  • Force multiplier: Igla-S may be moved around; in addition, it has mobility, so it brings into the fight the full weight of the ground elements wherever their movement and action make necessary. In some of those areas, fixed-based systems are simply not tenable.
  • Cost-effectiveness: In comparison with bigger, more sophisticated air defense systems, Igla-S is relatively inexpensive and more affordable for more countries to obtain, which lightens the financial burden of the military budget.
  • Speed Response: The quick response of this system to newly-emergent aerial threats by quickly deploying and easily being used provides an enhanced response and raises the success rates in overall missions and increases troop survival.
  • Strategic Deterrent: The existence of MANPADS, such as the Igla-S, deters hostile aerial operations, making the airspace safer and more secure.

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About Man-Portable Air-Defence Systems (MANPADS)

MANPADS are shoulder-launched surface-to-air missile systems that are designed to be operated by individual soldiers or small teams. These systems are highly valued for their portability, allowing them to be transported and used in diverse operational environments, from urban areas to mountainous regions.

History of Man-Portable Air-Defence Systems (MANPADS)

The development of MANPADS started during the Cold War era, as there was a need for versatile, mobile air defense solutions that complemented the existing long-range systems. The first generation of MANPADS, including the American FIM-43 Redeye and the Soviet 9K32 Strela-2, appeared in the 1960s. Over the years, technological advancements have resulted in the development of more advanced systems such as the Stinger, Starstreak, and the Igla series, each providing better guidance, range, and resistance to countermeasures.

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Conclusion

The Igla-S Air Defence System is a critical advancement in the portable air-defense technology area, providing modern military forces with enhanced capabilities and strategic advantages. This technology represents significance much beyond its mere technological grandeur, supporting broader strategic purposes in national defense and international security. For the UPSC aspirant, it is a must to understand the technical, strategic, as well as historical context within which such systems exist, with specific regard to its relation to internal security and defence preparedness in the General Studies Paper III syllabus. The study of MANPADS such as the Igla-S, not just gives insights into modern armed forces capabilities but also illustrates the role that technology innovation together with strategic planning can play towards national security.

Key Takeaways for UPSC Aspirants

  • Modernization: IGLA-S is a modern, advanced portable air defense system known for its accuracy and superior capabilities compared with its predecessors.
  • Missile Details: It carries a 9M342 missile that can detect low-flying aircraft, helicopters, UAVs, and cruise missiles up to 3.5 km in range.
  • Target Detection: The MANPADS uses a passive infrared homing head for target acquisition and engagement, which makes it very effective against heat-emitting targets.
  • Mobility and Deployment: It can be carried and operated by ground forces, which provides a versatile and mobile defense on the battlefield.
  • Countermeasures: With built-in counter-countermeasure, it overcomes enemy flares and other heat-disturbance devices.
  • Global Usage: These are widely adopted by various military forces across the globe due to its reliability and effectiveness in varied combat scenarios.
  • Training and Handling: Includes special training to operators handling the system such that its high performance during very stressful times is optimised.
  • Strategic Importance: Helps to augment the air defence network with yet another layer that makes the important assets and installation well secured from any aerial menace.

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Igla-S UPSC FAQs

As of the latest updates, India has started accepting shipments of the S-400 Triumf from Russia. The total number ordered is five units, of which the deployment and integration into their operation are still ongoing.

The main difference between the Igla-S and Verba systems is the guidance technology. The Igla-S uses a dual-band infrared homing seeker, whereas the Verba has a tri-band guidance system, which makes it more resistant to countermeasures and increases its accuracy in targeting.

The Igla V missile is an air-launched variant of the Igla missile system, typically integrated into rotary-wing aircraft. It extends the utility of the Igla system by providing air-based launch capabilities, enhancing aerial combat readiness.

An Igla missile can travel at speeds of up to 570 meters per second, allowing it to quickly engage and intercept aerial targets effectively.

This homing infrared seeker would be a passive IR-homing guidance system that locates and tracks the signature given out by a target. As the missile locks onto this particular target, it pursues and continues until reaching its trajectory to detonate or explode near the object intended, neutralizing this potential threat using its warhead carrying high-explosive fragmentation.

The operational issues that exist with the Igla-S are the appropriate training of personnel to effectively operate and utilize the system. Also, electronic countermeasures would potentially be able to penetrate and compromise the infrared guidance system.

It is considered to be one of the more modern MANPADS as its improved guidance and countermeasure resistance capabilities surpass those of earlier generations such as the Strela family. However, the newer Verba and even the American FIM-92 Stinger systems rival it in many areas.

The Igla-S Air Defence is a short-range, man-portable air-defense missile system developed by Russia. It's designed to target low-flying aircraft, helicopters, and UAVs using a passive infrared homing guidance system.
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