Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday that India successfully test-fired a long-range hypersonic missile from an island off its east coast.
If Singh's assessment is correct, this will be India's first successful test of an advanced hypersonic weapon.
Shin called The test was carried out from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha on Saturday and marked a “major milestone”.
“This is a historic moment, and with this significant achievement our country joins a select group of countries with such significant and advanced military technology capabilities,” he said. said.
“I congratulate Team DRDO India, our Armed Forces and the industry on this great achievement,” he added. DRDO is the Defense Research and Development Organization, India's premier military research institute.
Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Island; known It was known as Wheeler Island until it was renamed in 2015 and was home to an important missile testing facility. Dr. Kalam was an aerospace engineer. provided He served as the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. He died the same year the island was renamed. He urged India to develop both advanced military technology and nuclear weapons.
Hypersonic missiles can fly at such low altitudes and at such high speeds that they are theoretically impossible to intercept or even detect until they are dangerously close to their target. A true hypersonic missile has a minimum speed of Mach 5, five times the speed of sound at low altitudes, and has the ability to maneuver to evade missile defenses.
As Singh pointed out, few countries have tested or deployed reliable hypersonic missile technology. China shocked U.S. intelligence agencies successfully tested a nuclear-capable low-orbit hypersonic missile in October 2021.
Both the United States and Russia are developing hypersonic weapons. Russia was the first country in the world to field hypersonic missiles, firing them at targets in Ukraine.
north korea claim However, the test weapon's performance fell short of true hypersonic capabilities. Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen Claim It is said to have attacked Israel with a hypersonic missile in September. Japan, Australia, France and Germany all have carried out Hypersonic research.
The DRDO said the missile that India tested on Saturday could carry a substantial payload up to 1,500 kilometers (930 miles). DRDO claimed The flight data “confirmed successful terminal operations and impacts with a high degree of accuracy.”
First of all India tested A hypersonic missile was launched in 2019, but the test was deemed a failure. In the second test in 2020, the missile reached a speed of Mach 6, but could only maintain that speed for about 22 seconds.
Once the hypersonic missile is ready, DRDO plans to develop a hypersonic unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) called HGV-202F, which can carry hypersonic missiles up to 5,500 kilometers before firing.
