Team News Riveting
India on Wednesday successfully test-fired a medium range surface-to-air missile (MRSAM) from Odisha coast.
“Maiden launch of Medium Range Surface to Air Missile (MRSAM) Army Version from Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, off the Coast of Odisha at about 1600 hrs,” DRDO said in a tweet.
The missile destroyed the high speed unmanned aerial target which was mimicking an aircraft with a direct hit, it added.
The missile was fired from a ground mobile launcher at launch pad number-1 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) and it hit the target with accuracy, the sources said. An unmanned air vehicle (UAV), ‘Banshee’, was first flown into the air, which was hit by the MRSAM.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has jointly developed the missile in collaboration with Israel Aerospace Industries. The MRSAM has been manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Ltd.
After its induction into the Indian army, the missile will significantly enhance the combat effectiveness of the defence forces. The entire mission trajectory from the launch to plunging into the sea was monitored by various radars and electro-optico instruments, the officials said.
Prior to the test, Balasore district administration in consultation with DRDO temporarily evacuated 8,100 people residing within 2.5 km radius of the launch pad to the nearest shelter centres on Wednesday morning.
