BDL and Thales will deliver an initial batch of Starstreak missiles and launchers to the Indian Army in 2025. (Thales)
India's Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) and French defence manufacturer Thales are set to deliver an initial batch of Starstreak manportable air-defence systems (MANPADSs) to the Indian Army.
Thales said in a press conference at Aero India 2025 on 10 February that the first Starstreak batch will be delivered in 2025. However, the company did not disclose the numbers of units to be delivered, nor did it provide details about the supply contract.
According to Thales, the contract to supply the weapon stems from a request for information (RFI) that the Indian Army issued in June 2024 to procure an unspecified number of very-short-range air-defence (VSHORAD) systems. The RFI sought to procure manportable and vehicle-mounted systems.
This was following a teaming agreement signed between BDL and Thales in 2021 to produce the Starstreak MANPADS in India. Thales has supported BDL's production of the system through transfers of technologies, Thales said. About 60% of the system is manufactured in India.
According to Janes Land Warfare Platforms: Artillery & Air Defence , the Starstreak system features a VSHORAD system that operates on the laser beam-riding (LBR) guidance principle. It has a range of 7 km.
The Starstreak missile, which Thales said can fly at a top speed of more than Mach 3, incorporates three winged darts that each have their own guidance and control system, high-density penetrating explosive warhead, and delayed-action fuzing system. The darts are independently guided by two laser beams in a fixed formation with a radial separation of about 1.5 m.
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