India on Friday successfully tested the Rudram 1, the anti-radiation tactical missile that the Indian Air Force can launch from its Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jets to shoot down enemy radars and surveillance systems. The missile has a launch speech of up to Mach 2, twice the speed of sound, people familiar with the matter said.
The Defense Research and Development Organization developed the next-generation weapon. It was tested at the Balasore Intermediate Proving Ground, off the coast of Odisha in the Bay of Bengal, around 10.30 am.
“This is a big step forward,” a senior government official said of the successful DRDO trial launch. “The IAF will now have the ability to conduct SEAD (Enemy Air Defense Suppression) operations deep within enemy territory to destroy enemy air defense configuration,” the official said.
This would allow IAF strike aircraft to carry out their mission effectively without hindrance. This test demonstrates the ability of an anti-radiation missile with great separation distances.
The Next Generation Anti-Radiation Missile, or NGARM, is built into Su-30MKI fighter jets. Its range depends on the height at which the fighter plane is flying. It can be launched from a height of 500 meters to 15 km and can hit radiation-emitting targets within a range of 250 km.
All the radars and the electro-optical tracking system tracked the launch and the point of impact, a senior government official told the Hindustan Times.
The tactical air-to-surface anti-radiation missile is equipped with a passive return header that tracks radiation sources of a wide range of frequencies. You can lock a target not only before launch, but also after it has been launched.
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