Medium-range missile test-fired off Odisha coast

Bhubaneswar: India successfully test-fired a medium-range surface-to-air missile (MRSAM) off the Odisha coast on Wednesday, defence sources said.

The missile was fired from a ground mobile launcher at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Balasore at about 4:00 pm.

The missile is jointly developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Israel Aerospace Industries.

About 8,100 people were shifted from villages within 2.5 km radius of ITR ahead of the missile test, and lodged in temporary camps as part of safety measures, the district administration said.

The Army version of MRSAM is a surface-to-Air missile developed jointly by DRDO, India and IAI, Israel for use of the Indian Army. MRSAM Army weapon system comprises of Command post, Multi-Function Radar and Mobile Launcher system. The complete Fire Unit has been used during the launch in the deliverable configuration.

Number of range instruments such as Radar, Telemetry and Electro-Optical Tracking System were deployed and captured the complete mission data, validating the weapon system performance including the destruction of the target.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh lauded the efforts of DRDO and associated team members involved in the mission and said that India has attained a high level of capability in the indigenous design and development of advanced weapon systems.

Secretary Department of Defence R&D and Chairman, DRDO G Satheesh Reddy congratulated the DRDO community for successfully demonstrating the performance of the MRSAM Army weapon system registering direct target hit in its maiden launch. He also lauded the efforts of the entire team in realizing the system within record time and meeting the committed schedule.

(With agency inputs)