Indian Army inducts Swathi WLR mountain variant

The Indian Army has inducted six Swathi Mark II mountain-variant WLRs under a contract awarded to manufacturer Bharat Electronics in December 2021. (Bharat Electronics Limited)

The Indian Army has announced the induction of six units of a mountain variant of the Swathi Weapon Locating Radar (WLR) to enhance battlefield surveillance.

The WLR, also known as the Swathi Mark II, was delivered to the Indian Army by state-owned Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) in early August.

A BEL spokesperson told Janes on 9 August that the company received an order for the six Swathi Mark II units in December 2021, and that all were delivered by March 2023. “We are expecting more orders for the Swathi Mark II from the Indian Army,” the spokesperson said.

The Swathi WLR – developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) – is a mobile 3D electronically scanned phased-array radar that can automatically locate artillery, mortars, and rocket launchers of hostile troops and enable their destruction by facilitating counter bombardment.

According to Janes C4ISR & Mission Systems: Land, each Swathi WLR unit is integrated into two vehicles – a radar vehicle that accommodates electronics and an antenna shelter; and a power source-cum-built-in test equipment (BITE) vehicle, which contains two diesel generator sets and a radar target simulator.

The Swathi WLR also has a Mark I variant suited for operations in plains. The only difference between the two variants is their weight. The Mark I variant is integrated into two 8×8 wheeled Tatra trucks that weigh around 30 and 28 tons, while the Mark II variant is integrated into two 6×6 wheeled Tatra trucks that weigh around 18 tons each.