The Indian Army has issued a Request for Information (RFI) for the procurement of an Air Defence Fire Control Radar specifically designed as a Drone Detector (ADFCR-DD). This system is intended to strengthen the Indian Army's capability to detect, track, and engage various aerial threats including fighter aircraft, helicopters, and increasingly prevalent hostile drones.

The ADFCR-DD forms a crucial part of the Ground Based Air Defence system that offers effective short and very short-range point defence in all weather conditions, day and night.

The radar system comprises several integrated subsystems mounted on a single High Mobility Vehicle, allowing for rapid deployment and mobility. Core components include an X-Band Active Array Antenna-based 3D-Search Radar for airspace surveillance, a Ka-Band Tracking Radar for target tracking, Electro-Optical Sensors for passive 2D tracking, and a Laser Range Finder (LRF) for radar-independent ranging. A Gun Control Unit and power supply system are also integral parts, enabling the system to simultaneously control at least two L-70 anti-aircraft guns and transmit targeting data to very short-range air defence units.

This radar can search designated airspace, detect and classify aerial targets, perform threat evaluation, and assign and control fire on air defence guns to neutralise threats. It functions effectively up to a minimum tracking range of 12 kilometres, capable of operating in diverse terrains such as plains, deserts, coastal areas, and high-altitude zones up to approximately 4,500 meters.

It can handle up to 16 targets simultaneously, including fighter jets, attack helicopters, and various Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The system is designed for high accuracy and resilience to electronic countermeasures (ECM), also capable of detecting enemy jammers to enable counteraction.

The procurement under the "Buy (Indian-Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured)" category ensures a minimum of 70% indigenous content, aligning with the Indian government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative to boost self-reliance in defence technologies. The system described is part of a broader push to modernise and augment India's air defence capabilities, especially to counter the rising threat from drones seen in recent conflicts like Operation Sindoor, where over 600 Pakistani drones were reportedly neutralised by the Indian Army.

In addition to the radar's detection and fire control capabilities, the Indian Army’s RFI emphasises that the radar should be lightweight for mounting on a single vehicle and capable of transmitting data to connected air defence platforms for enhanced networked operations.

Electro-optical fire control systems embedded in the radar enhance day and night targeting precision, providing a robust solution against multiple forms of aerial threats in modern warfare environments.

Furthermore, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is concurrently developing advanced variants of the ADFCR system integrating Directed Energy Weapons (DEWs) and laser-based counter-drone technologies, representing the future evolution of such systems for layered air defence.

The ADFCR-DD procurement aims to significantly improve the Indian Army's operational readiness against evolving aerial threats, particularly hostile drone incursions, by providing a modern, mobile, and highly integrated fire control radar system with substantial indigenous content and advanced technological capabilities.

IDN