The Army on Tuesday received the first of the upgraded Schilka air defence weapon systems from Bharat Electronics Ltd.
Schilka is a self-propelled Soviet-origin system dating back to the 1970s. The crucial upgrade is said to be long overdue for the Army's Air Defence.
"Bulk production clearance has been obtained [after trials] and the first upgraded system was handed over today," a BEL statement said.
The Bangalore-headquartered public sector defence electronics major is modernising 48 of the 90 Schilka systems in the first phase. It got the contract in 2011.
Earlier in the day, Lt Gen V.K. Saxena, Director-General, Army Air Defence, received the first item from BEL Chairman and Managing Director S.K.Sharma after a demonstration at BEL's Bengaluru unit.
The Schilka Upgrade, according to BEL, is an all-weather, day/night, tracked system. Its four automatic 23mm-calibre guns provide low-level air defence.
BEL refurbished it at its Bangalore unit with an air-conditioning for crew comfort and included a digital search-cum-track radar that can track multiple targets. The system also gets new main and auxiliary engines, integrated fire detection and suppression system, an NBC filter (against nuclear, biological and chemical elements) and a modern communication system.
