India conducts successful test of Indigenous long-range hypersonic missile
The missile, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organization, is designed to carry a variety of payloads over distances exceeding 1,500 km, catering to all branches of the Indian armed forces. Generally, hypersonic missiles, capable of carrying conventional explosives or nuclear warheads can fly in the range of five times the speed of sound (Mach 5 which is roughly 1,220 km) per hour at sea level. But some advanced versions of hypersonic missiles can even fly at the speed of over 15 mach. The Daily Star
India marked a major milestone in defence technology with the successful flight trial of its indigenously developed long-range hypersonic missile yesterday.
The test was conducted from APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast, the Indian defence ministry announced today.
“The @DRDO_India has successfully conducted a flight trial of its long-range hypersonic missile on 16th Nov 2024 from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, off the coast of Odisha,” the ministry shared on its official X account (formerly Twitter).
The missile’s performance was tracked using various range systems across multiple domains. Data collected from down-range ship stations confirmed successful terminal maneuvers and a high degree of impact accuracy.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh described the achievement as “historic”, emphasising that it places India among a select group of nations capable of developing critical hypersonic technology.
“India has achieved a major milestone by successfully conducting a flight trial of a long-range hypersonic missile from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, off the coast of Odisha. This is a historic moment and a significant achievement, placing our country among the select nations with such advanced military technologies. I congratulate Team DRDO, our armed forces, and the industry for this stupendous achievement,” Rajnath wrote on X.
The missile, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), is designed to carry a variety of payloads over distances exceeding 1,500 km, catering to all branches of the Indian armed forces.
This advanced weapon was developed at the laboratories of APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex, Hyderabad, in collaboration with other DRDO laboratories and industry partners.
Generally, hypersonic missiles, capable of carrying conventional explosives or nuclear warheads can fly in the range of five times the speed of sound (Mach 5 which is roughly 1,220 km) per hour at sea level. But some advanced versions of hypersonic missiles can even fly at the speed of over 15 mach.
At present, Russia and China are way ahead in developing hypersonic missiles while the US is in the process of developing a range of such weapons.
Several other countries, including France, Germany, Australia, Japan, Iran, and Israel, are also pursuing projects to develop hypersonic missile systems.
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