DRDO’s short range surface to air missile designed for Navy hits the mark

The Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Navy on Tuesday successfully tested a Vertical Launch Short Range Surface-to-Air Missile (VL-SRSAM) from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur off the coast of Odisha, the defence ministry said.

The test was carried out from aboard an a naval ship against a high-speed unmanned aerial target. The missiles – with indigenous Radio Frequency (RF) seekers – accurately intercepted the target.

The test missile’s flight path and performance metrics were tracked using data captured by a variety of onboard and on-ground sensors, including radar, an electro-optical tracking system (EOTS) and telemetry systems deployed by the test range at Chandipur.

Scientists who developed and designed the system included those from agencies like the Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL) and Research Centre Imarat (RCI) in Hyderabad, while engineers from Pune were involved in monitoring the launch.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the DRDO, the Navy and other associated teams. “The missile will prove to be a force multiplier for the Indian Navy,” he declared.

G Satheesh Reddy, chairman of the DRDO and secretary for the Department of Defence (R&D) also congratulated the teams involved. He praised the effectiveness of the weapon system and said it would strengthen the Navy’s ability to neutralise aerial close-range threats.