India has embarked upon a major replacement of SA-18 Very Short Range Air Defence Systems (VSHORAD) with modern weapons. The cost of replacement of about 800 manpads and delivery of 5,000 missiles is put at $5.2 billion. Trials of the offerings of the four downselected OEMs are on and Sweden’s Saab is one of them. At Eurosatory, Saab had on display for the first time in France, the RBS 70 NG which was only officially launched to the world market in autumn 2011. Here in an interaction with SP’s M.A.I., Lars Campner, Vice President, Group Marketing & Business Development; Ake Soderlindh, Director, Regional Marketing and Sales, Business Area Dynamics; and Thomas Hammarlund, Office Authority Manager, Industrial Cooperation, speak about RBS 70 NG.

SP’s M.A.I. (SP’s): Could you give an update on the various offerings in India?

Saab: The first one is the VSHORAD which is a major acquisition programme in India. Right now, RBS 70 NG is in the trial phase and it is happening at four different stations. The trials have just started at the first location and all the trials are expected to go through fall and hope the evaluation process will be over by the end of the year.

SP’s: What are the prospects of RBS 70 NG?

Saab: Good. From our side we are confident that we have the right product to offer India.

SP’s: What are the unique features of RBS 70 NG which differentiate you from the other three competitors?

Saab: The RBS 70 NG system with integrated 24/7 all-target capability has been developed for the most demanding air defence combat situations. Its integrated sighting solution, enhanced missile operator aids, unbeatable range and unjammable laser guidance combine to produce a system with world-leading capabilities.

Its integrated thermal imager and night sight capability combine to provide true 24/7 performance. Three-dimensional target designation and automatic target detection improve reaction times, while the auto-tracker aids the missile operator during engagement, increasing hit probability throughout the missile range.

SP’s: Is this a major improvement on the RBS 70 system?

Saab: Yes, it is. Saab has sold over 1,600 systems and more than 17,000 missiles to 18 countries. After taking into the dynamic warfighting environment, we have incorporated new features in RBS 70 NG which is expected to take the VSHORAD capability to a brand new level of performance.

SP’s : Any other major offering that Saab is making to India?

Saab: We have the SR SAM (Short Range Surface to Air Missile). The down-select is yet to take place. We are looking at various opportunities in India such as the early warning systems and for all the systems we are interested in strategic partnerships with Indian vendors as offsets and technology transfers are key in any of the programmes.