Platform profile · India · Mobile low-level quick-reaction surface-to-air missile system · Indian Air Force
SPYDER Low Level Quick Reaction Missile System
OngoingSPYDER took part in coordinated air-defence engagements at Vayushakti-26 on 2026-02-27 after its IACCS integration upgrade received AoN in August 2025.
On 27 February 2026, the Indian Air Force used SPYDER in coordinated ground-based air-defence engagements during Exercise Vayushakti-26 at Pokhran alongside Akash and Army assets. On 5 August 2025, DAC accorded AoN to upgrade SAKSHAM/SPYDER and integrate it with IACCS, extending the relevance of the existing fleet. The Israeli-origin LLQRM, armed with Python-5 and Derby interceptors, was officially recorded as inducted in 2017 and is intended for multiple-target response to saturation attacks. It has since participated in integrated day-and-night firing, but a SPYDER launch was also reported in the 27 February 2019 friendly-fire loss of an IAF Mi-17V5. The system matters because IACCS integration should make a fast, mobile point-defence layer more effective within India's wider sensor-and-command network.
Updated 27 Feb 2026
Verified figures
Specifications
Spec sources: pib.gov.in ↗ · he.rafael.co.il ↗ · rafael.co.il ↗ · business-standard.com ↗
Changelog
Program timeline
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The IAF employed SPYDER and Akash in coordinated ground-based air-defence engagements during the day-and-night Exercise Vayushakti-26 at Pokhran, supported by Army air-defence assets.
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DAC accorded AoN for upgrading the IAF's SAKSHAM/SPYDER weapon system and integrating it with IACCS; SPYDER's individual share of the approximately Rs 67,000 crore multi-service package was not disclosed.
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NDTV, citing IAF sources, reported that a SPYDER missile launched from Srinagar struck an IAF Mi-17V5 in a friendly-fire incident, killing six personnel aboard and one civilian on the ground.
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Across 5, 7 and 8 December, the IAF successfully fired SPYDER, Akash, OSA-AK-M and Igla missiles by day and night in an integrated networked exercise at Air Force Station Suryalanka.
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India test-fired a SPYDER interceptor from a mobile launcher at ITR Chandipur and successfully hit an unmanned aerial target, according to Indian press reporting cited by The Diplomat.
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In a Rajya Sabha reply, the Ministry of Defence confirmed that it had signed a contract with Rafael of Israel to procure the SPYDER LLQRM system for the Indian Air Force; no quantity or value was stated.
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The IAF publicly described a plan to procure 18 SPYDER systems using Python-5 and Derby missiles for point and area defence.
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