Indian Navy, DRDO Test-Fire Vertical Launch Surface-To-Air Missile In Odisha

The Indian Navy and the Defence Research and Development Organisation 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 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 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.