Explaining the suitability of the ammunition, the RFI notes, “These anti-aircraft guns use 23mm Armour Piercing Incendiary Tracer (APIT) and High Explosive Incendiary Tracer (HEIT) ammunition.””The hit probability of both the ammunition types is low as the guns are manually controlled, and the ammunition gets activated (causes damage/destruction) only upon impact, i.e., on a direct hit. Thus, in order to increase the hit probability, there is a requirement for 23mm Anti-Drone Ammunition.”The initiation of this process has been attributed to lessons drawn from “recent conflicts,” which “have demonstrated effective employment of drones (to include Commercially Off-The-Shelf (COTS) Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and UCAVs) and loitering munitions for Suppression of Enemy Air Defence and precision strike against ground-based Army Air Defence platforms.”Highlighting the challenge posed by drones, the RFI adds, “Drones, especially the COTS variety, have low radar cross-sections (RCS), small sizes, higher survivability, and comparatively lower costs. Countering them with the current gun ammunition is a challenge, and hence there is a requirement for anti-drone ammunition which can be fired from existing Zu 23mm and Schilka Weapon Systems.”The Zu 23mm and Schilka Weapon Systems currently in service with Army Air Defence (AD) are high-rate-of-fire anti-aircraft systems, employed for providing point Air Defence to critical Vulnerable Areas and Vulnerable Points.The RFI, issued by the Directorate General of Army Air Defence (DG AAD), was uploaded on the Indian Army’s official website on Wednesday.
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