India is looking to export its ‘Swati’ radar which can provide accurate location of all enemy weapons in a 50-km range.
SWATI will track all enemy weapons like mortars, shells and rockets firing within in its effective zone of coverage and simultaneously handle multiple projectiles fired from different weapons at different locations.
“The system is capable of adjusting the fire of our own artillery weapon also. The weapon includes 81mm or higher caliber mortars, 105mm or higher caliber shells and 120mm or higher caliber free-flying rockets. Thus WLR has two roles to perform i.e. Weapon Location Mode for enemy Artillery and Direction of Own artillery Fire (DOOAF) Mode for our own Artillery,” said a DRDO official as reported by Sputnik News.
India is exploring export of SWATI but only after the Army’s requirement is fulfilled. Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat was quoted as saying earlier , “It is being used extensively along the Line of Control (LoC) by us,”. Indian Army has ordered 30 such systems over the next few years.
“SWATI could be a great equipment to ensure adversaries do not use artillery fire. If the LoC is devoid of any artillery fire in the near future, you can be sure SWATI radar has gone there,” Manohar Parrikar, Indian Defense Minister, said.
Parrikar asked defense scientists to work on developing active array weapon locating radar and hand it over to Army in the next few years.