Saab offers man-portable missile to Indian Army

(IANS) Swedish defence manufacturer Saab Thursday offered its RBS 70NG man-portable air defence system to the Indian Army to meet its requirements for a shoulder-fired missile. ‘The RBS 70NG is a contender for procurement of Very Short Range Air Defence (VSHORAD) man-portable air defence (MANPAD) missile for Indian Army,’ Saab India said in a release here.
The Indian Army has Russian-origin Igla missile systems in its inventory and is looking for its replacements, for which it has issued a Request for Information (RFI). A formal tender for the weapon system is to be issued soon.
Defence Research and Development Organisation is also working on a man-portable Nag anti-tank missiles.
‘The RBS 70NG is on offer to the Indian Army to fill a crucial need gap. We believe the RBS 70NG meets requirements of Indian Army for a system that has multiple target seeking and tracking capabilities, multi-launcher capability, ability to deploy from high mobility vehicles and ship and submarine naval vessels and aerial target detection capability,’ Saab India country head Inderjit Sial said.
‘A new sighting system, improved precision and increased all-target capability, the new RBS 70NG is the latest air defence system presented by Saab. Now with integrated 24/7 all-target capability Saab’s new RBS 70 NG VSHORAD system has been developed for any combat situation,’ Sial said.
Saab India said the RBS 70NG has an effective intercept range of 8 km, with altitude cover in excess of 5,000 metres.
‘It is capable of operating in complex environments such as urban terrain and is well equipped for all environments, including tropical, desert and arctic conditions,’ the firm added.

- News One