Overview

• BEL has received the Request for Proposal to produce the DRDO-developed system, with Bharat Dynamics Limited slated to support missile manufacturing.
• Anant Shastra is the rebranded Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile designed to protect mobile formations from aircraft, helicopters, drones and loitering munitions.
• Reporting differs on scale, with some outlets citing three regiments and others five to six, though all point to deployment along the western and northern borders.
• The vehicle-mounted system features 8×8 mobility, engagement ranges of roughly 30–40 km, and effectiveness up to about 10 km altitude, with 360-degree radars and automated C2.
• The acquisition is framed as an Atmanirbhar push shaped by lessons from Operation Sindoor, and it will be integrated into the Army’s Akashteer command-and-control network.