Vajra Air Defence Warriors Validate AKASHTEER Sensor-to-Shooter Network in Day-Night Firing Drills

The Indian Army’s Vajra Air Defence Warriors have carried out day-and-night air-defence firing drills integrated with the indigenous AKASHTEER Air Defence Control and Reporting System, testing the speed with which battlefield sensor data can be converted into an engagement response.

The drills focused on the complete sensor-to-shooter cycle, beginning with the detection and tracking of simulated aerial threats and continuing through processing, engagement decisions and transmission of targeting information to the firing element.

The exercise placed particular emphasis on operating the air-defence network under both daylight and night-time conditions, allowing crews to practise continuous surveillance and engagement procedures in conditions closer to an operational environment.

AKASHTEER Links Sensors With Air-Defence Weapons

AKASHTEER is the Indian Army’s indigenous Automated Air Defence Control and Reporting System, developed to connect surveillance sensors, command centres and ground-based air-defence weapons within a common operational network.

The Ministry of Defence signed a ₹1,982 crore contract with Bharat Electronics Limited in March 2023 for Project AKASHTEER under the Buy Indian–IDDM category.

According to the Ministry, the system is designed to allow Army Air Defence units to operate in an integrated manner while monitoring low-level airspace over battlefield areas and controlling ground-based air-defence weapon systems.

Drill Tests the Sensor-to-Shooter Chain

The core purpose of the Vajra exercise was to practise the sequence through which an aerial target is detected, identified, evaluated and passed to the appropriate weapon system for engagement.

Modern air-defence operations depend increasingly on reducing the time between initial detection and the firing decision. A radar or other sensor may identify a threat within seconds, but that information must still be processed, correlated and transmitted to the firing unit before an interception can take place.

The day-night drill therefore concentrated on shortening and validating this chain while maintaining coordination between surveillance and weapon elements.

Simulated Aerial Targets Tracked and Engaged

During the exercise, Army Air Defence personnel practised detecting and tracking simulated aerial targets before carrying out engagement procedures using available air-defence weapons.

The weapon systems involved in the drill were connected through the AKASHTEER network, allowing sensor information to move digitally towards the firing elements rather than relying on isolated weapon and radar operations.

This networked approach is increasingly important as air-defence units prepare to deal with threats that can include aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles and unmanned aerial systems.

From Standalone Systems to a Common Air Picture

The Ministry of Defence describes AKASHTEER as a system that gathers information from multiple sources and processes it to support real-time engagement decisions.

The platform forms part of a broader command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance architecture and is designed to provide Army Air Defence formations with a common operational picture.

By linking surveillance and weapon systems, AKASHTEER reduces the dependence on individual air-defence assets functioning separately and allows commanders to coordinate engagements through a wider digital network.

Mobile System Designed for Battlefield Deployment

AKASHTEER is vehicle-mounted, giving the system the mobility required to accompany Army formations during deployment.

Its architecture allows air-defence units to monitor low-altitude airspace while maintaining connectivity between command posts, sensors and weapon systems.

The mobility of the system is particularly important for ground formations that may need to relocate frequently while maintaining an active air-defence network.

First Control Centres Delivered in 2024

The first batch of AKASHTEER control centres was flagged off from Bharat Electronics Limited’s Ghaziabad facility in April 2024.

The Ministry of Defence described the delivery as an important step in the automation of Indian Army air-defence operations and part of the Army’s wider effort to increase digitisation and technology absorption.

Since then, the system has increasingly become part of the Army’s network-centric air-defence architecture.

Operational Experience Has Increased Its Importance

AKASHTEER gained wider prominence after its operational deployment during Operation Sindoor, when the Government stated that indigenous air-defence systems including AKASHTEER had contributed to the country’s integrated defensive response.

Official descriptions following the operation emphasised the system’s role in combining radar information, sensors and communication networks while enabling rapid engagement decisions across the air-defence grid.

The Vajra drills therefore represent a continuation of the Army’s effort to refine the system through practical training rather than treating it only as a command-and-control platform.

Day-Night Training Builds Continuous Readiness

Air threats are not restricted by visibility or time of day, making continuous operations an essential requirement for modern air-defence units.

Training through both daylight and darkness allows crews to rehearse target detection, communication, identification and engagement procedures without interruption.

For the Vajra Air Defence Warriors, the exercise provided an opportunity to practise these processes while simultaneously validating the digital link between surveillance systems and firing units.

Network-Centric Air Defence Takes Shape

The Vajra firing drills illustrate the Indian Army’s transition towards a more integrated form of air defence in which radars, command systems and weapons operate as parts of a connected network.

The value of AKASHTEER lies not in replacing individual radars or missiles, but in linking them together so that information from one part of the battlefield can rapidly reach the element best positioned to respond.

By exercising that sensor-to-shooter chain under day-and-night conditions, the Army is moving the system from technological induction towards routine operational integration across its air-defence formations.

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References

DD Live — Official coverage of Vajra Air Defence Warriors’ day-and-night air-defence firing drills, September 2026.

Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Defence — MoD inks two contracts with BEL worth ₹2,400 crore for Project AKASHTEER and Sarang systems, March 29, 2023.

Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Defence — Official update on the first batch of AKASHTEER control centres, April 2024.

Press Information Bureau, Government of India — Akashteer: The Unseen Force Behind India’s New War Capability, May 16, 2025.

Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Defence — Official statements on indigenous air-defence systems and AKASHTEER, 2026.

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