India’s first anti-radiation missile which attacks enemy radars was successfully test-fired off the coast of Odisha. The missile, Rudram 1, which can also take down enemy surveillance systems, was launched by the Indian Air Force from its Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jets.
The missile was tested at the interim test range in Balasore, off the coast of Odisha in the Bay of Bengal. It has a launch speech of up to 2 Mach i.e. twice the speed of sound. This new generation weapon has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
“The IAF will now have the capability to perform SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defence) operations deep into enemy territory to destroy enemy air defence setup”, said a senior government official after the successful test firing.
The test shows the capability of an Anti-Radiation Missile with large stand-off ranges. This New Generation Anti-Radiation Missile (NGARM) is integrated on Su-30MKI fighter aircraft, with its range depending on the height at which the fighter jet is flying. The launching height ranges from 500 metres to 15 km and can hit radiation-emitting targets within a range of 250 km.
It is also equipped with a passive homing head that tracks the sources of radiation of a wide array of frequencies. The target locking mechanism locks the target pre-launch and keeps it locked even after it has been launched.
Notably, India also recently successfully test-fired DRDO’s indigenously developed Supersonic Missile Assisted Release of Torpedo (SMART) missile off Odisha’s coast.