India achieved a historic milestone in defence technology by successfully conducting a flight trial of a long-range hypersonic missile on Saturday. The missile, indigenously developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), was launched from Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Island, off the coast of Odisha.

With this achievement, India has joined a select group of nations possessing such critical and advanced military technology, the minister added.

The hypersonic missile, designed to carry various payloads, boasts a range of over 1,500 kilometres, making it a critical addition to the arsenal of all branches of the Indian Armed Forces. The flight trial was conducted in the presence of senior scientists from DRDO and representatives of the Armed Forces.

This missile has been indigenously developed by the laboratories of the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex in Hyderabad, in collaboration with other DRDO laboratories and industry partners. The flight trial was conducted in the presence of senior DRDO scientists and members of the Armed Forces.

This ground breaking achievement cements India’s position among the select group of nations possessing advanced hypersonic missile technology.


The missile was tracked by various range systems deployed across multiple domains. Flight data obtained from down-range ship stations confirmed the successful terminal manoeuvres and impact with a high degree of accuracy, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), which conducted the trials on Saturday night, announced.

The missile is the result of extensive research and development carried out by the laboratories of the Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex in Hyderabad, in collaboration with other DRDO labs and several industry partners. This collaboration highlights India's growing self-reliance in defence technology and its commitment to "Make in India."

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh lauded the achievement, describing it as a "historic moment" for the nation. “India has achieved a major milestone by successfully conducting the flight trial of a long-range hypersonic missile from Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Island. This significant achievement places our country among a select group of nations with such advanced military capabilities,” he said.

He congratulated Team DRDO, the Armed Forces, and industry partners for their exceptional contribution to this monumental success.

Hypersonic missiles are characterised by their ability to travel at speeds exceeding Mach 5, making them highly challenging to detect and intercept. The successful trial underscores India's advancing capabilities in cutting-edge military technology, strengthening its strategic deterrence and national security.

How Hypersonic Missile Work

Hypersonic missiles travel at more than five times the speed of sound in the upper atmosphere - or about 6,200 km per hour (3,850 mph). This is slower than an intercontinental ballistic missile, but the shape of a hypersonic glide vehicle allows it to manoeuvre toward a target or away from defences.

Combining a glide vehicle with a missile that can launch it partially into orbit - a so-called fractional orbital bombardment system (FOBS) - could strip adversaries of reaction time and traditional defences mechanisms. Intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), by contrast, carry nuclear warheads on ballistic trajectories that travel into space but never reach orbit.