BHUBANESWAR: In yet another milestone in cruise technology, India successfully flight-tested Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile (ITCM) from a defence facility off the Odisha coast on Thursday.
Designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the missile with turbofan engine Manik was test-fired from launching complex-III of the Integrated Test Range (ITR). The test demonstrated the reliable performance of the indigenous propulsion system developed by Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE), Bengaluru. Along with the propulsion system, all subsystems were validated during the developmental trial.
ITCM is a technology demonstrator programme, launched to validate the capability of Made in India small turbofan engine, upgraded radio frequency seekers and other subsystems developed for the indigenous cruise missile. Equipped with the new turbofan engine, defence sources said, the missile was tested in full operational configuration. The propulsion system performed very well and the missile reached the desired cruise altitude as expected. The flight of the missile was monitored from the Sukhoi-30-Mk-I aircraft of the Indian Air Force.
“The missile followed the desired path using waypoint navigation and demonstrated very low altitude sea-skimming flight. The performance was monitored by several range sensors like radar, electro-optical tracking system and telemetry deployed by ITR at different locations to ensure complete coverage of the flight path,” sources said.
It achieved a second consecutive success after a failed attempt on October 28, 2022, as the system developed a snag in the engine after separation of the booster stage. Fitted with an upgraded radio frequency seeker and Manik engine, the missile was test-fired successfully on February 21, 2023. Based on the subsonic cruise missile Nirbhay, the ITCM is also equipped with advanced avionics and software to ensure better and more reliable performance. The missile has been developed by Bengaluru-based Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), a lab of DRDO, along with contributions from other laboratories and Indian industries.