On March 3, the Indian Ministry of Defense signed a contract with Rosoboronexport for the purchase of vertical launch anti-aircraft guided missiles for the Shtil-1 naval anti-aircraft missile system (SAM), United News of India writes.
According to the source, the contract value was $238 million. The missiles, probably of the 9M317ME modification, are intended for the ammunition of the frigates F 70 Tushil and F 71 Tamal of Project 11356. The ships were handed over to the Indian Navy in 2024–2025.
It should be noted that, unlike previous versions with inclined launchers, the modern Shtil-1 allows missiles to be launched at intervals of only a couple of seconds according to the principle of "cold launch" and to hit targets at an altitude of up to 15 km and a range of up to 50 km.
This is critical for repelling massive attacks when several anti-ship missiles or drones are flying towards the ship simultaneously from different directions.
