India successfully test-fires nuclear-payload capable Shaurya missile

Balasore : In a major success amid the ongoing order crisis with China, India on Saturday successfully test-fired a new version of nuclear-capable Shaurya missile off the coast of Odisha which can strike targets at around 800 km.

The new version of the missile was test fired successfully and would be inducted in the strategic forces to complement one of the existing missiles in the same class, top government sources told ANI.

The missile would be lighter and easier to operate in comparison with the existing missile, the sources added.

In the last phase while moving close to its target, the missile moves at hypersonic speeds, the sources said further.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has been working towards completing total self-reliance in the field of strategic missiles and has enhanced its efforts further after the call of Aatmanirbhar Bharat by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the defence sector earlier this year, the sources said.

Recent Missile Tests

Laser-Guided Anti-Tank Missile

The DRDO on Tuesday tested an indigenously developed laser-guided anti-tank guided missile in Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar, the second such successful test firing of the missile in the last 10 days. The missile has a range of up to 5 km.

The missile was fired from an MBT Arjun Tank at KK Ranges in Armoured Corps Centre and School (ACC&S) in Ahmednagar.

“The ATGM employs a tandem heat warhead to defeat explosive reactive armour (ERA) protected armoured vehicles in ranges from 1.5-5 km,” the Defence Ministry said in a statement.

The ATGM was developed with a capability to launch from multiple launchpads and is currently in the process of technical evaluation trials from the 120-mm rifled gun of MBT Arjun. The Arjun is a 3rd-Gen battle tank developed by the DRDO.

BrahMos

The DRDO on Wednesday successfully test-fired an extended range of the supersonic cruise missile BrahMos, which is capable of striking targets with precision at a range of more than 400 km.

The test was carried out under the PJ-10 project of the DRDO.

This was the second time the extended range version of the BrahMos was tested, wherein the airframe and booster of the missile was developed indigenously.