VL-SRSAM, a ship-borne weapon system, is meant for neutralising various aerial threats at close ranges, including sea-skimming targets

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Navy on Tuesday successfully flight tested the indigenously developed Vertical Launch Short Range Surface-to-Air Missile (VL-SRSAM) from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur off the coast of Odisha.

The VL-SRSAM, a ship-borne weapon system, is meant for neutralising various aerial threats at close ranges, including sea-skimming targets, and was the last test-fired in June.

“The flight test was carried out from an Indian Naval Ship against a high-speed unmanned aerial target for demonstration of vertical launch capability. The missiles, equipped with indigenous Radio Frequency (RF) seeker, intercepted the target with high accuracy,” a Defence Ministry statement said.

During the test launch, flight path and vehicle performance parameters were monitored using flight data captured by various Range instruments such as Radar, Electro-optical tracking system (EOTS), and Telemetry systems deployed by ITR, Chandipur, the statement said.

The launch was monitored by senior scientists from various DRDO labs involved in the design and development of the system such as Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad, and R&D Engineers, Pune.

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh complimented the DRDO, the Indian Navy, and associated teams on the successful flight trial of VL-SRSAM and stated that the missile will prove to be a force multiplier for the Indian Navy.

Secretary Department of Defence R&D and DRDO Chairman Dr. Satheesh Reddy observed that the missile will further strengthen the Navy‘s ability to neutralise various aerial threats at close ranges, including sea-skimming targets.