A Vertical Launch Short Range Surface-to-Air Missile (VL-SRSAM) was successfully flight tested by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Navy from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur off the coast of Odisha, on Tuesday.

Equipped with an indigenous Radio Frequency (RF) seeker, the missiles, domestically designed and developed by DRDO, intercepted the target with high accuracy.

The weapon system is expected to further strengthen the Indian Navy for neutralising various aerial threats at close ranges, including sea-skimming targets.

The flight test was carried out from an Indian Naval Ship against a high-speed unmanned aerial target for demonstration of vertical launch capability.

During the test launch, flight path and vehicle performance parameters were monitored using flight data, captured by various Range instruments such as Radar, Electro-optical tracking system (EOTS) and Telemetry systems deployed by ITR, Chandipur.

The launch was monitored by senior scientists from various DRDO labs involved in the design and development of the system such as Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL), Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad and R&D Engineers, Pune.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, currently in Uzbekistan, complimented DRDO, Indian Navy and associated teams on the successful flight trial of VL-SRSAM and stated that the missile will prove to be a force multiplier for the Indian Navy.

DRDO Chairman also congratulated the teams involved in the successful flight test, saying that the trial has proved the effectiveness of the weapon system.

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