Overview

• The Corps of Army Air Defence signed a deal with Thales UK for the Lightweight Modular Missile system, billed as effective against aircraft, helicopters, UAVs and UCAVs at ranges beyond 6 km in all-weather conditions.
• The LMM is man-portable, deployable in high-altitude areas, and uses laser beam riding to resist evasive maneuvers, with a high single-shot kill probability enabled by advanced sights, a proximity fuze and a high-explosive warhead.
• The Army said the missile acquisition follows Operation Sindoor and is aimed at detecting and destroying high-value drones and UAVs.
• Separately, the Ministry of Defence signed a Rs 659.47 crore contract with a consortium led by MKU Ltd with Medbit Technologies to supply night sights and accessories for 7.62x51mm SIG 716 rifles.
• The new sights are specified to enable effective engagements to about 500 metres under starlit conditions, replacing existing passive night sights under a Buy (Indian-IDDM) case with over 51% indigenous content that is expected to benefit MSMEs.