Express press service
BHUBANESWAR: India has successfully conducted the first “user-associate” test of a vertically launched short-range surface-to-air missile (VL-SRSAM) from a warship off the coast of Odisha Friday.
Defense sources said the locally developed missile fired from the Indian Navy vessel demonstrated its vertical launch capability by successfully destroying a fast moving aerial target mimicking an aircraft.
Developed by the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), VL-SRSAM, an on-board weapon system is intended to neutralize various short-range aerial threats, including skimming targets.
The missile’s flight path as well as health parameters were monitored using a number of tracking instruments deployed by the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur. The test launch was monitored by senior DRDO and Indian Navy officials.
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Secretary of the Department of Defense Research and Development and Chairman of the DRDO, Dr. G Satheesh Reddy, congratulated the teams involved in the successful flight test and said the test proved the system integration of indigenous weapon aboard Indian Navy ships. Once deployed, the VL-SRSAM system will prove to be a force multiplier for the Navy, he said.
The next-generation all-weather air defense missile system can provide point and area defense against various aerial targets such as jet aircraft, combat aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles. The advanced cartridge-based weapon system can identify, track, engage and destroy the target with high kill probability. It has a range of about 40 km.
The launches were monitored by senior scientists from various DRDO laboratories involved in the design and development of the system and senior naval officials. The Navy Chief of Staff, Admiral R Hari Kumar, who attended the trial, said the development of this indigenous missile system will further enhance the Indian Navy’s defensive capabilities.
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO and the Navy on the successful trials and said the system has added armor which will further enhance the defense capability of Indian Navy ships against airborne threats.
