In a demonstration of significant capability amid border tensions with China, India on Monday successfully tested missile-assisted supersonic torpedo release (SMART) from a defense facility off the coast of Odisha, the defense ministry said.
The capability will allow India to target enemy submarines at great distances, authorities said. The system is a missile-assisted launch of a lightweight anti-submarine torpedo to engage targets beyond the range of the latter.
“All mission objectives, including flying missiles to (desired) range and altitude, nose cone separation, torpedo release and deployment of the speed reduction mechanism (VRM) have been perfectly accomplished. “said a statement from the ministry.
“This launch and demonstration is important to establish anti-submarine warfare capabilities,” he added. The head of the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), G Satheesh Reddy, said that SMART was a technology demonstration that changed the rules of the game in the field of anti-submarine warfare.
Tracking stations (radars, electro-optical systems) along the shoreline and telemetry stations, including ships, monitored all events related to the flight test, officials said.
Experts said it was an old idea that it could find a new application like a land launch system or a weapon carried by ship as well.
A missile-launched rocket or torpedo is a weapons-launching arrangement that was introduced decades ago by the Soviet and US navies, said maritime affairs expert Rear Admiral Sudarshan Shrikhande (retd).
He said that these were capable of striking at relatively shorter ranges with torpedoes or even nuclear depth charges. He said that as helicopters on board ships improved and maritime patrol aircraft became better equipped with sensors; Missile-launched torpedo systems were not favored as the volumes of weapons and launchers on board were prioritized for anti-aircraft, ground attack and anti-aircraft missiles.
“However, if accurate information on underwater targets is available, then a long-range artillery delivery capability, especially from land, could be something that will be useful once again. After all, at the moment, land-based anti-submarine warfare patrol aircraft that can launch artillery over great distances are among the most effective ways to target submarines. So a supersonic missile capable of flying a few hundred kilometers can, in theory, launch a capable light torpedo into the best-known position of an enemy submarine, ”said Shrikhande.
He said that an effective torpedo as a payload was very important. “Ultimately, the deployment of the SMART system would depend on the costs and needs of the navy mission,” he added.
India has conducted a number of major weapons tests in recent weeks.
On Saturday, India tested a new version of the nuclear-capable Shaurya hypersonic missile that has a range of 750 km, days after the extended-range BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was successfully tested. The cruise missile can hit targets 400 km away, its range increased from the existing 290 km.
On September 7, India took the first steps towards developing a new class of ultra-modern weapons that can travel six times faster than the speed of sound (Mach 6) and penetrate any missile defense, with the DRDO conducting a test. successful flight of the hypersonic technology demonstrator vehicle (HSTDV) for the first time.
Only the United States, Russia, and China have developed technologies to launch fast-maneuvering hypersonic missiles that fly at lower altitudes and are extremely difficult to track and intercept.
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