New Delhi: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Sunday successfully carried out a flight test of a long-range hypersonic missile from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, located off the coast of Odisha. The hypersonic missile, developed for the Indian armed forces, is capable of carrying diverse payloads with a range exceeding 1500 km.
It was indigenously designed by the DRDO’s laboratories at the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex in Hyderabad, in collaboration with various DRDO research centers and industry partners. The flight trial was observed by senior DRDO scientists and military officials.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh hailed DRDO for the successful missile flight trial, describing it as a “significant achievement” for the country.
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
How do hypersonic missiles work?
Hypersonic missiles travel at speeds more than five times the speed of sound in the upper atmosphere, roughly 6,200 km per hour (3,850 mph). Although this is slower than an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the design of a hypersonic glide vehicle allows it to maneuver towards a target or evade defence systems.
When combined with a missile capable of launching it partially into orbit—known as a fractional orbital bombardment system (FOBS)—it can significantly reduce an adversary’s reaction time and bypass traditional defence mechanisms. In contrast, ICBMs carry nuclear warheads on ballistic paths that reach space but do not achieve orbit.
Comments are closed.