India conducts maiden salvo launch of naval anti-ship missile from helicopter

Naval Anti-ship Missile launched from helicopter during test
Naval helicopter launching anti-ship missiles during test over sea.Representative Image (Generated using Google AI)

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Navy have conducted the maiden salvo launch of the Naval Anti-ship Missile-Short Range (NASM-SR).

The test was carried out from a naval helicopter platform off the coast of the Bay of Bengal in Odisha, where two missiles were launched in quick succession from the same helicopter.

The Ministry of Defence said this is the first salvo launch of an advanced air-launched anti-ship missile system from an Indian naval helicopter platform.

All Test Objectives Met

All test objectives were met as per data captured using range tracking instruments, including radar, electro-optical systems and telemetry deployed at the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur.

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The missiles demonstrated waterline hit capability during the trials.

The launch was witnessed by senior DRDO scientists, representatives from the Indian Navy and Indian Air Force, and development-cum-production partners.

Indigenous Systems And Development

The NASM-SR missile uses a solid propulsion booster and a long-burn sustainer.

It is equipped with subsystems including a seeker, integrated avionics module, fibre-optic gyroscope-based inertial navigation system, radio altimeter, control and guidance algorithms, and a high-bandwidth two-way data link.

The missile has been developed by Research Centre Imarat, Hyderabad, in collaboration with Defence Research and Development Laboratory (Hyderabad), High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (Pune), Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (Chandigarh) and ITR Chandipur.

The missiles are being produced by development-cum-production partners with support from Indian industries and start-ups.

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