Delhi may soon get US aerial defence formula against missile threats

Seeking to provide protection to dignitaries including the President and Prime Minister as well as the national capital territory from enemy cruise missiles, drones and aircraft, India is considering an American system under the Delhi Area Defence project

"The National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System (NASAMS) is being considered for the Delhi Area Defence project to provide aerial protection to the Capital from airborne threats," government sources told Mail Today.

The programme is being undertaken as the threat perception from incoming enemy missiles, drones and aircraft is on the rise because of their increasing use by terrorist organisations such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba. US defence officials have made presentations to the Air Force and other agencies concerned and the proposal is under the consideration of the government, the sources said.

The same anti-missile system is used by the Americans to guard their national capital region in Washington DC and has been in deployment there since 2005. The Indian Air Force has been using the Russian-origin missile systems for giving protection to the national Capital and the vital assets and vital points. The NASAMS is claimed by the Americans to be a state-of-the-art air defence system that can maximise the ability of the users to quickly identify, engage and destroy current and evolving enemy aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicle or emerging cruise missile threats.