Missile that downed MH17 is Indian Navy's primary defensive weapon
Sandeep Unnithan New Delhi, July 19, 2014 | UPDATED 14:52 IST
The Shtil missile on board an Indian Navy Talwar class frigate.
The Buk missile's naval variant the "Shtil", dubbed the SA-17 "Grizzly" by NATO, was inducted on board the three Russian-built Talwar class frigates beginning in 2003 and their follow-on class, the three Teg class frigates, beginning 2012.
An earlier verison of the Shtil, dubbed the "Kashmir" (NATO SA-11 "Gadfly") by NATO, was first installed onboard the three Delhi class destroyers beginning in 1997.
These warships form the protective screens in carrier battle groups centering around the Vikramaditya and the Viraat.
The Shtil represented a quantum jump for the Indian Navy which had relied on the older RZ-61 "Pechora" second-generation missiles onboard the five Russian-built Rajput class destroyers.
The Pechora is what is termed in military parlance a "command-guidance, line of sight weapon".
The missile rides a beam projected by the tracking radar towards the target. It requires the warship radar to continuously "illuminate" the target. The missile is extremely vulnerable to decoys and jamming.
The Shtil, however, is a radar-homing guidance missile that is faster and less vulnerable to jamming.
The 5.5-metre missile that weighs over 700 kg can shoot down targets 25 km away. The missile uses an onboard radar to trigger off its warhead when it approaches the target. Manufacturers claim it can be used against cruise missiles, helicopters, ballistic missiles and even shore and sea-based targets.
With delays in the induction of the "Long-Range SAM" missile being developed by the DRDO and Israel - the missile was to equip the Vikramaditya and the Kolkata class destroyers - the SA-17 is likely to be the Navy's principal defender at least until the end of this decade.
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