BHUBANESWAR: With two more successful trials of the Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MRSAM) system, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Wednesday confirmed to have completed the development tests of the weapon's Army variant.
The quick response missile was flight tested with deliverable configuration from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) off the Odisha coast at about 10.15 am and 11.05 am paving the way for its early induction.
Defence sources said the missile system has once again proved its effectiveness as two missiles, during the flight tests, achieved direct hits against high speed aerial targets.
The flight tests were conducted in the presence of senior officials of DRDO and the Indian Army. The network centric sleek missile was tested four times in the last three days at different attitudes and ranges.
The trials were carried out for establishing the accuracy and reliability of the weapon system against targets covering the sea skimming and high altitude functionality within the envelope.
A defence official said performance of all weapon system components including missile, radar and command post have been validated during the trials. With the conclusion of flight trials for different ranges and scenarios, the system has
completed its development trials and is ready for induction in the Army, he said.
Secretary Department of Defence (R&D) and Chairman of DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy congratulated the teams associated with the successful test firings of the weapon system.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh lauded DRDO, the Indian Army and industry for the successful flight tests. He said the successful launches have once again proved the reliability of the system.
The most advanced next generation missile has been developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) in collaboration with public and private sector enterprises.
With a strike range of nearly 100 km, the 4.5-metre long supersonic quick reaction missile weighs around 2.7 tonnes and can carry a payload of 60 kg. Travelling at a speed of Mach 2, it can achieve high degrees of manoeuvrability at the terminal phase.
The weapon system has been developed with cutting-edge technology to neutralise airborne threats like jets, subsonic and supersonic cruise missiles, anti-tank systems and rockets.
One of the variants of the MRSAM system has already been handed over to the Indian Air Force (IAF). The missile is designed to provide point and area air defence for ground assets against a wide range of threats.
On March 27, the missile system was successfully flight tested twice against high-speed aerial targets for different ranges as part of the live firing trials.