New Delhi: India has successfully test-fired a long-range hypersonic missile. The flight test was conducted at the APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha. The flight test was conducted by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
This missile is designed to carry various payloads for ranges greater than 1500km for 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.
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‘ India has achieved a major milestone by successfully conducting a flight trial of a 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,’ Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said. Singh congratulated the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the armed forces and the industry for what he described as a ‘stupendous” achievement’.
Hypersonic missiles are characterised by their ability to travel at speeds exceeding Mach 5, making them highly challenging to detect and intercept. At this time, only the United States, China, India, and Russia have demonstrated hypersonic capabilities. India is the fourth nation after Russia, the US and China to demonstrate hypersonic capability.