DRDO test fire indigenous Vertical Launch Short Range surface-to-air missile

Tags: Science and Technology

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Navy successfully flight tested Vertical Launch Short Range Surface to Air Missile (VL-SRSAM) on 23 August. 

IMPORTANT FACTS -

• The missile was test fired from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur off the coast of Odisha.

• The flight test was conducted from an Indian Navy ship against a high speed unmanned aerial target.

• During the test launch, flight path and vehicle performance parameters were monitored using flight data captured by various instruments such as Radar, Electro-Optical Tracking System (EOTS), and Telemetry System deployed by ITR, Chandipur.

Short Range Surface to Air Missile (VL-SRSAM) : 

• It is a ship-borne weapon system capable of neutralising various airborne threats at close range, including sea-skimming targets.

• The strategy of sea skimming is used by various anti-ship missiles and some fighter aircraft to avoid detection by radar on warships.

• They fly very close to the ocean surface and thus are difficult to detect and neutralise.

Design of VL-SRSAM Missile :

• This missile is indigenously designed and developed by DRDO.

• Its design is based on Astra missile which is a Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air missile.

• Astra is India's first air-to-air missile, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -

Main features of VL-SRSAM Missile :

• It has two key features - cruciform wings and thrust vectoring.

• The cruciform has four small wings arranged like a cross on all four sides and provides a stable posture to the projectile.

• Thrust vectoring, on the other hand, helps to change the angular velocity from its engine and the direction of thrust that controls the missile.

• The missile weighs 154 kg and its length is about 12.6 feet.

• It is designed to strike high-speed air targets at a range of 40 to 50 km and at an altitude of about 15 km.