DRDO and Indian Navy successfully conduct maiden flight-test of indigenous Naval Anti-Ship Missile

By Ajai Shukla

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Navy successfully conducted the maiden flight-test of the indigenous Naval Anti-Ship Missile on May 18, 2022.

The missile was launched from a Seaking helicopter at the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur off the coast of Odisha. The mission is stated to have met all its objectives. It is the first indigenous air launched anti-ship missile system for the Indian Navy.

According to the MoD, "The missile followed the desired sea skimming trajectory and reached the designated target with high degree of accuracy, validating the control, guidance and mission algorithms. All the sub-systems performed satisfactorily. The sensors deployed across the test range and near impact point tracked the missile trajectory and captured all the events."

"The missile employed many new technologies, including an indigenously developed launcher for the helicopter. The missile guidance system includes state-of-the-art navigation system and integrated avionics," said the MoD.

The flight test was witnessed by senior officers of DRDO and the Indian Navy.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the DRDO, Indian Navy and associated teams for the maiden developmental flight test. He said, India has attained a high level of capability in the indigenous design and development of Missile systems.

Secretary Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy appreciated the efforts of the project team for successfully proving mission objectives. He complimented the Indian Navy and Naval Flight Test Squadron for their support to the project and said that the system will strengthen offensive capability of Indian Navy.