air defence missile system developed in-house by the units of Indian Air Force’s Maintenance Command was fired at the Exercise Vayushakti for the first time.
SAMAR stands for Surface to Air Missile for Assured Retaliation. It is air defence missile system.
The SAMAR air defence system has been developed by Indian Air Force's 7 Base Repair Depot Tughlakabad (BRD) using its old Russian-origin air-to-air missile systems.
The system can engage aerial threats with missiles operating at a speed range of 2 to 2.5 Mach.
The SAMAR system consists of a twin-turret launch platform with the capability of launching two missiles in single and salvo mode, depending on the threat scenario.
It was first showcased during Aero India 2023.
Later in December 2023, it was successfully test fired during Exercise AstraShakti.
Watch the video here: Meanwhile, the IAF today conducted Exercise Vayushakti in Rajasthan.
During the excercise, over 120 aircraft displayed the lAF's offensive capabilities by day as well as by night.
Fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force including the Rafale, Su-30 MKI, MiG-29, Mirage-2000, Tejas and Hawk were used in the excercise, the defence ministry said in a release.
The Apache attack helicopter demonstrated its firepower in this event for the first time, by engaging targets with Air to Ground guided missiles, while Mi-17 helicopters engaged ground targets with rockets, it added.
The indigenous Air Defence Systems, Akash and SAMAR missile systems were also showcased, destroying multiple aerial