As a part of a replacement program for its obsolete Osa-AK and Kvadrat missile systems, Indian Army received a go ahead to initiate a global acquisition program for quick-reaction surface-to-air missiles from the Ministry of Defencein September 2007. The acquisition program faced multiple issues, including poor response from vendors and re-tendering to avoid single source acquisition. In the meanwhile, a DRDO project to develop quick-reaction surface-to-air missiles was sanctioned in July 2014 with a budget of. The missile was developed in association with Bharat Electronics Limited and Bharat Dynamics Limited with both firms participating in development and manufacturing. In 2017, Indian Army's global acquisition program was dropped in favour of the locally developed QRSAM.
Description
This missile is an all-weather, all-terrain surface-to-air missile equipped with electronic counter measures against jamming by aircraft radars. The missile can be mounted on a truck and is stored in a canister. QRSAM uses solid-fuel propellant and has a range of 25–30 km. The single-staged missile utilized by the system is propelled using solid propellants. The missile is equipped with a midcourse inertial navigation system with a two-way data link and a DRDO-developed terminal active seeker. The system has the capability to search and track targets while moving. QRSAM is a compact weapon system and is mobile. It has a fully automated Command and Control System. The missile system comprises two four-walled radars both of which encompass a 360-degree coverage, namely, the Active Array Battery Surveillance Radar and the Active Array Battery Multifunction Radar, apart from the launcher.
Testing
The first test firing of the missile took place on 4 June 2017. This was followed by the second successful test on 3 July 2017. The test was conducted from Chandipur, Odisha. Around 100 scientists are working as part of the missile development program led by Developed by Defence Research and Development Laboratory. DRDO's other labs including RCI, R&D Engineers and ITR are also contributing to the missile development effort. On 22 December, the missile was test fired for the third time. While the test was initially reported to be a success, The Print reported that the test failed with the missile being unresponsive after it took off. The fourth test took place on 8 October 2018 and was reported to be successful. Fifth test was successfully performed on 26 February 2019. The sixth test was conducted on 4 August 2019 at 11:05 am from a mobile truck-based launcher at the launch complex-3 of the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur. The seventh-test took place on 23 December 2019 from Integrated Test Range, which included two firings of the missile. With this test, the development of the missile was declared complete.
Deployment
The system was deployed in Eastern Ladakh in June 2020.
