India successfully test fired the indigenous nuclear capable hypersonic missile Shaurya. The missile has a strike range of 700 km to 1,000 km and is capable of carrying payloads of 200 kg to 1,000 kg.
The Shaurya as been rated as one of the top 10 missiles in the world in its class, which is attributed to its high performance navigation and guidance systems, efficient propulsion systems, sophisticated control technologies and canisterised launch. It can be launched from silos and canisters mounted on a truck and fixed on the ground, with the truck becoming a launching platform.
Sources said the surface-to-surface tactical missile was blasted off from a canister strapped to the ground launcher from launch complex 4 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in the APJ Abdul Kalam Island at 12.10pm. The missile was 10 metres long, 74 cm in diameter and weighed 6.2 tonnes; its two stages use solid propellants. Sources described the trial as successful and stated that the state-of-the-art military technology performed a manoeuver in the closing stages of its flight. The missile hit the impact point in the Bay of Bengal with precision and accuracy.
It operates from solid fuel, and can guide itself towards the target towards the cruise missile. Officials described it as a ground version of a ballistic missile launched from a submarine. They said that it is so fast that the enemy’s radar across the border will get less than 400 seconds to detect, track and intercept it. Moreover, the missile can be stored in a composite canister and can be hidden easily.
The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) official highlighted that during the test flight, the missile was tracked by various telemetry stations and radars. In line with the prime minister’s vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, the DRDO has been working towards completing total self-reliance in the field of strategic missiles and has enhanced its efforts further.
