India successfully test-fires Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile off Odisha coast

India on Monday successfully test-fired a Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile (QRSAM) system from Integrated Test Range, Chandipur off the Odisha coast. The QRSAM has been developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The missile was flight-tested with full configuration in deployment mode intercepting the target mid-air, meeting the mission objectives. The entire event was monitored by Ground Telemetry Systems, Range Radar Systems, Electro Optical Tracking System etc.

The QRSAM weapon system, which operates on the move, comprises of fully automated Command and Control System, Active Array Battery Surveillance Radar, Active Array Battery Multifunction Radar and Launcher. Both radars are four-walled having 360-degree coverage with search on move and track on move capability.

The system is compact with minimum number of vehicles for a firing unit. Single stage solid propelled missile has midcourse inertial navigation system with two-way data link and terminal active seeker developed indigenously by DRDO. The missile successfully engaged the aerial target establishing its capability. Director General (Missiles and Strategic Systems) Shri MSR Prasad was present during the trial.

With this mission, the developmental trials of the weapon system are successfully completed and the weapon system is expected to be ready for induction by 2021.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Secretary, Department of Defence R&D & Chairman DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy have congratulated the teams involved in the flight trials and development of QRSAM.

Earlier, the DRDO conducted two successful test firings of Pinaka missile systems with objectives such as checking its low range and functioning of live warhead, according to an official statement.

"The first trial was conducted on December 19 wherein one missile was fired at 75 kilometre range. The second trial was successfully conducted today at 1100 hrs from Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, off the Odisha coast," the statement by the Ministry of Defence said.

Pinaka is a multiple rocket launcher system developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). It can fire around 12 rockets in 44 seconds.

"The mission objective of today's trial was to test low range, functioning of live warhead along with its proximity initiation and salvo launch...Both the missiles were fired to engage a target located at 20 kilometre range and high accuracy was achieved," the statement added.

According to the DRDO, the Pinaka missiles were integrated with live warhead and proximity fuse and was tracked by multiple range systems such as telemetry, radars, Electro-Optical Tracking System (EOTS), which confirmed the textbook flight performance.