RBS 70 NG Is A Well Integrated System
Bo Almqvist, Vice President, Strategic Business Project Dynamics, Saab India talks about RBS 70 NG and its fitment in the Indian market.
How capable is Saab’s RBS 70 NG to fulfill the need of the Indian Army in context of dual front war strategy?
RBS 70 NG is a man portable system and can be used in different environment, from arctic to tropical. How the system will be used and the tactics in a dual front war is up to the user, but our system definitely fulfills requirements for different war situations.
How your product is better placed than its competitors?
Our missile system is based on the principle of beam riding. This means that we have a possibility to actually control the missile after launch i.e. aim point optimization, change target, avoid jamming or remove/destruct the missile prior to hit if required. RBS 70 NG is not affected by the jamming systems normally used by A/C and specifically designed to counter IR seeker missiles. Furthermore we have a more robust radar system with a range for small targets twice the competitors which is fully integrated with the firing unit.
Having all the competencies –missiles, radars and command and control within the same company – is a distinct advantage when compared with competitors that have to bring some parts of the system from other companies or countries.
Our solution is a well-integrated system with the shortest time from detection of target to missile hit. The system also has lower LCC than the competitors and the missiles are maintenance free. Also our system can be fired at targets with weak IR signatures without hot spots. The missile can be fired at everything the operator can see in the high resolution IR-image of the Sighting System, which gives an advantage over homing systems when it comes to detecting head on targets and defeating enemies before the load is dropped. The time for reloading and firing at a second target is shorter for RBS 70 NG.
Don’t you think that the lack of fire and fire capability can be a drawback?
Both guiding systems have advantages. With a fire and forget system, the operator can leave immediately after firing. Having worked with beam riding systems for a long time, however, we have never encountered any situation where the system has been in combat and there has been a need to leave earlier. Actually on the contrary, it has been necessary to stay and evaluate the result. As mentioned earlier we believe that the possibility to control the missile is more important than fire and forget.
Are you looking for some offset partner or local JVs for this deal, including ToT?
For ToT, the Indian government has identified PSUs. With an offset requirement of 30%, there is a need to have partners and JVs in India. We have in our evaluation been n contact with more than 80 companies for manufacturing in India nad have one main partner in Piramal.
Courtesy: Strategic Affairs