Description

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Context:

Recently, Russia has offered the R-37M missile to India. These missiles are one of the world’s best air-to-air missiles.

The acquisition & license to produce this missile can have a transformational impact on the Indian Air Force.

But, This offer is also creating tensions in the region, especially for Bangladesh, Pakistan and China.

What is R-37M Missile ?

Hypersonic Speed	The R-37M missile is a hypersonic weapon. These missiles can reach speeds up to Mach 6 (around 7,400 km/h).
Speed Advantage	This Enables to target fast-moving aerial threats. This makes it highly lethal.
Weight	510 kilograms
Warhead Weight	60 kilograms
Guidance and Navigation	Inertial navigation guidance system with mid-course updates for accurate targeting over long ranges.
Extended Range	It can Engage targets at 300-400 km (160-220 nautical miles), among the longest-range air-to-air missiles.
Primary Targets	It is designed for high-value targets like AWACS and tanker aircraft.
Combat Advantage	This is upgraded from R-33 which allows it to target beyond visual range (BVR) while avoiding enemy strikes.

Impact on Indian Air Force (IAF):

The R-37M can replace the R-77 missile, which is used by India’s Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets.
As per reports, Russia has also offered India the license to manufacture the R-37M missile locally.
This can strengthen India's defense industry & this also can provide strategic autonomy in future military engagements.
So this will reduce the dependence on foreign weapons systems.

Strategic Implications for Pakistan

The Pakistani Air Force (PAF) heavily relies on F-16 fighter jets for its aerial superiority.
But, these F-16s are vulnerable to being intercepted beyond the Line of Control (LoC) because of R-37M missile's ability to engage targets up to 400 kilometers away,
This will greatly affect the Pakistan’s defensive posture.

Potential Effects on China

China, with its own advanced air defense and missile systems, will be closely monitoring this.
India’s acquisition of the R-37M missile could change the strategic calculations in the China-India standoff, regarding air superiority in this region.
However, China already have a range of advanced air-to-air missiles, including the PL-15 and PL-21,
But, R-37M by India can force China to accelerate the development and deployment of more advanced counter-hypersonic technologies.

Impact on Bangladesh

Bangladesh, which maintains cordial relations with India, can find itself in the strategic competition between India & Pakistan.
While Bangladesh’s military capabilities do not pose a direct threat to India.
But this can push Bangladesh to strengthen its own defense capabilities, either through regional alliances or by defense procurements.

India-Russia Defence Relations

●Defence Trade : $10 billion: Estimated value of India's defence imports from Russia between 2015 and 2020, making Russia one of the India's largest defence supplier.

●70%: Percentage of India's defence equipment that is of Russian origin.

Joint Projects

●BrahMos Missile: A joint India-Russia project to develop a supersonic cruise missile.

●S-400 Triumph Air Defence System: India has signed a $5.4 billion deal with Russia to acquire 5 S-400 air defence systems.

●AK-203 Assault Rifles: India and Russia have signed a deal to manufacture over 700,000 AK-203 assault rifles in India with technology transfer from Russia.

Military exercises

●INDRA: An annual joint military exercise between India and Russia focused on counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations.

●AVIAINDRA: A joint aerial exercise between the Indian Air Force and the Russian Aerospace Forces.

Other cooperation

●Nuclear submarines: Russia has leased 2 nuclear-powered attack submarines to India in the past but since returned them, including the INS Chakra.

●Space cooperation: India and Russia are also collaborating on space exploration, including the joint development of a lunar rover.

Source: India.com

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q.Discuss the strategic implications of India’s acquisition of the R-37M hypersonic missile from Russia. How does this acquisition affect India’s defense capabilities and its relations with neighboring countries such as Pakistan, China, and Bangladesh?