SMART weapon system would boost the Navy's anti-submarine warfare capability and allow it to engage enemy submarines from far off distances, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) chairman Dr G Satheesh Reddy said

NEW DELHI: Once fully developed, the Supersonic Missile Assisted Release Torpedo (SMART) weapon system would boost the Navy's anti-submarine warfare capability and allow it to engage enemy submarines from far off distances, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) chairman Dr G Satheesh Reddy said here on Wednesday.

The SMART weapon system was successfully test fired for the first time on October 5 where a supersonic missile was used to launch a torpedo against a simulated submarine as a target and the test was fully successful.

"A torpedo has a limited range capability. The range of torpedo is enhanced through many mechanisms. One of the mechanisms is a supersonic missile assisted release of the torpedo, that is how it is called SMART," Reddy told in an exclusive interview while explaining the capabilities of different missiles tested successfully by India in the last few weeks.

He said a torpedo has been incorporated in the front sections of a missile and it carried the torpedo to the designated point and then opened it up.

"All these operations have very successfully functioned in the very first attempt itself. So, this enhances the capability of the Indian Navy once the system gets fully proven and inducted into the armed forces. The Navy's capability to engage submarines at far of distances is also feasible," Reddy added.

The test was carried out on October 5 from the APJ Abdul Kalam Island in Balasore off the coast of Odisha.