On Saturday, November 16, 2024, India’s government Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted a second successful flight test of a long-range hypersonic missile demonstrator.
Photo: DRDO
The test was conducted from the Chandipur missile testing range on Abdul Kalam Island, located off the coast of the eastern state of Odisha in the Bay of Bengal. Data collected during the flight confirmed that the maneuvers and impact on the training target were successful and highly accurate. The missile reportedly achieved a speed exceeding Mach 9, with a flight range exceeding 1,500 km.
India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh wrote on social media:
“India has achieved a major milestone by successfully conducting flight trial of long range hypersonic missile from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, off-the-coast of Odisha. This is a historic moment and this significant achievement has put our country in the group of select nations having capabilities of such critical and advanced military technologies. I congratulate Team DRDO, our Armed Forces and the Industry for stupendous achievement.”
The announcement of the test appeared in local industry media on January 17 of this year. It was reported that DRDO was preparing to begin a longer phase of flight tests following the first successful test of the scramjet-powered Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV) on September 7, 2020 (preceded by an earlier test on June 12, 2019, which was partially unsuccessful).
The initial design of the HSTDV missile was completed in 2004 with assistance from Israel, the United Kingdom, and Russia. It weighs approximately 1 ton and has a length of 5.6 meters, of which 3.7 meters are taken up by the air intake and scramjet engine, located in the central fuselage. A 1:16 scale model was used for wind tunnel testing.
However, it is notable that the missile tested last Saturday differs significantly from the HSTDV. Earlier this year, it was reported that DRDO intends to develop two types of hypersonic missiles based on the experiences with the HSTDV: powered cruise missiles and hypersonic glide vehicles. Details about what exactly was tested recently remain classified.
The @DRDO_India has successfully conducted a flight trial of its long range hypersonic missile on 16th Nov 2024 from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, off-the-coast of Odisha.
Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh has congratulated DRDO, Armed Forces and the Industry for successful flight… pic.twitter.com/wq7yM2YS9f
— रक्षा मंत्री कार्यालय/ RMO India (@DefenceMinIndia) November 17, 2024
India has achieved a major milestone by successfully conducting flight trial of long range hypersonic missile from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, off-the-coast of Odisha. This is a historic moment and this significant achievement has put our country in the group of select nations… pic.twitter.com/jZzdTwIF6w
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) November 17, 2024
Comments
Nobody has commented on this article yet.