•  Indian Army has picked Russia’s Igla-S missile system as choice for its multibillion-dollar contract for man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS).
• Russian Igla-S system has been confirmed as the lowest bidder for a mega deal to procure shoulder fired anti-aircraft missiles for the Indian Army.
• The process to procure Very Short-Range Air Defence (VSHROAD) missiles was initiated in 2010 under the previous government and went through several rounds of trails before the Igla-S qualified in January, along with two other competitors.

About Igla-S missile System:

• It is latest model of Russian MANPADS (Man-portable air-defense system) technology. It offers superior performance over earlier supplied SA-18 missiles to India.
• It is designed for use against visible aerial targets at short range such as tactical aircraft, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAVs), cruise missile, head-on or receding, in presence of natural (background) clutter and countermeasures.
• As per requirements of Indian Army, it will have maximum range of 6km, altitude of 3km along with all-weather capability. Igla-S missile system will replace the existing Igla in service which is in urgent need of replacement.

About VSHORAD Programme:

• VSHORAD programme was initiated in 2010 to replace Russian Igla-M systems that have been used by Army since the 1980s is considered critical for defence against incoming helicopters, UAVs and ground attack aircraft.
• Under this programme, Indian Army had issued Request for Proposal (RFP) for 5,175 missiles and associated equipment, out of which around 2,300 missiles will be bought in fully formed condition, 260 will be in semi-knocked down (SKD) condition and 1,000 missiles will be completely knocked down (CKD) and 600 missiles will be produced in India under Make in India initiative.