BHUBANESWAR: India on Friday successfully test-fired a new generation anti-radiation missile (NGARM) Rudram-1 developed by the DRDO from a fighter aircraft off the Odisha coast.
Capable of neutralising enemy radars, surveillance systems, communication sites and other radio frequency emitting targets, Rudram is the country’s first indigenous anti-radiation missile for the Indian Air Force.
Defence sources said the missile fired from a Sukhoi 30 MKI aircraft at about 10.30 am successfully hit the radiation target coordinated from an unmanned island in the Bay of Bengal with pin-point accuracy.
"Radars, tracking apparatuses and other communication facilities of the enemy are the first line of targets during wars. A sensor on the tip of Rudram will pick up radio frequencies and destroy these facilities. The system will give a boost to the armed forces," said a defence official.
India is the fourth nation to have anti-radiation missiles after the AGM-88E of the US, Kh-31P of Russia and MAR-1 of Brazil. With a strike range of over 100 km, the state-of-the-art missile can travel at a speed of Mach 2. Picking up signals or radiation emitted from the enemy radars or tracking networks, it can destroy the communication systems.
Powered by a dual-pulse solid rocket motor system, the missile is about 5.5 metres long and weighs around 600 kg. It has a cruciform wing surface to meet the manoeuvrability requirements.
Equipped with INS-GPS navigation with passive homing head for the final attack, the missile is capable of destroying communication systems at varying ranges based on launch conditions.
A defence scientist associated with the project said the passive homing head can detect, classify and engage targets over a wide band of frequencies as programmed. The missile is a potent weapon for IAF for suppression of enemy air defence effectively from large stand-off ranges. With this, the country has established indigenous capabilities to develop long range air launched anti radiation missiles, he added.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and DRDO Chairman Dr G Satheesh Reddy congratulated the DRDO scientists and other stakeholders for this remarkable achievement.
This was the second live launch of the missile with upgraded software to handle a larger variety of targets under various operational conditions. Last year, the missile was first launched from a Sukhoi-30 MKI and parameters like control guidance, aerodynamics and propulsion without a seeker were tested.