DRDO India Test Fires Home-grown QRSAM Missile

India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has successfully test fired a Quick Reaction Surface-to-air Missile (QRSAM) off the coast of Odisha.

The short-range weapon system was fired from a canister mounted on a rotatable truck-based launch platform at the Launching Complex-I (LC-I) of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur-on-sea at about 2.30 pm, Indian Express reported Saturday.

The canister-based high-speed weapon system capable of deceiving enemy radars is capable of destroying aerial targets, tanks, bunkers and short range missiles.

The trial was conducted to check various parameters in its subsystems and performance of advanced software. It was third test of the newly developed missile, which is yet to get a formal name, and all three have been successful this year, the news daily reported quoting unnamed defense sources as saying Saturday.

"All subsystems incorporated in the missile have performed well. Though no target was set for the missile, it covered the entire range as coordinated. The mission was successful and it proved complete indigenisation of surface-to-air systems," said a defence official.

It is a highly mobile air defence system which can destroy multiple targets at a distance of 25 km in less than one minute. The missile is expected to supplement medium range surface-to-air missile Akash.

It is an all-weather and all-terrain missile having electronic counter measures against all known aircraft jammers.

The missile uses high-energy solid propellant and will have to go through a couple of more development flight trials before going into user phase tests, the sources added.