Indian Navy and DRDO Achieve Milestone with Successful Missile Test

The Indian Navy and DRDO successfully conducted a flight test of the Vertical Launch Short Range Surface-to-Air Missile off Odisha's coast. The test targeted a high-speed aerial object and validated various weapon system components. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and DRDO Chairman Samir V Kamat praised the team's efforts.

The Indian Navy and the DRDO on Thursday successfully carried out a flight test of a vertical launched short-range surface-to-air missile off the coast of Odisha.

The flight test was conducted from a land-based vertical launcher, targeting a high-speed aerial target flying at a low altitude.

The missile system successfully tracked and engaged the target, the Defence Ministry said.

“The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Navy successfully conducted the flight test of the Vertical Launch Short Range Surface-to-Air Missile (VL-SRSAM) from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur, off the coast of Odisha,” it said.

The ministry said the test aimed to validate multiple updated elements of the weapon system, including the proximity fuse and seeker.

“The performance of the system was meticulously tracked and confirmed by various instruments such as the radar electro-optical tracking system and telemetry deployed at ITR Chandipur,” the ministry said in a statement.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh praised the teams from the DRDO and the Indian Navy for their achievement, stating that this test reaffirms the reliability and effectiveness of the VL-SRSAM weapon system.

Samir V Kamat, the chairman of the DRDO, also congratulated the teams involved, emphasising that the system will significantly enhance the operational capabilities of the Indian Navy and serve as a force multiplier.