Two Flight Tests of VSHORADS Missile Successful Off Odisha Coast

New Delhi: Two successful flight tests of a very short-range air defence missile were conducted off the coast of Odisha on Wednesday and Thursday.

“The DRDO conducted two successful flight tests of Very Short-Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) missiles on February 28 and 29 from a ground-based portable launcher off the coast of Odisha from integrated test range, Chandipur,” the defence ministry said.

The tests were carried out against high-speed unmanned aerial targets under different interception scenarios. “During all the test flights, the targets were intercepted and destroyed by the missiles, meeting the mission objectives,” the ministry said.

VSHORADS is a man-portable air-defence system designed and developed indigenously by Research Centre Imarat (RCI) in collaboration with other Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) laboratories and Indian industry partners.

The missile incorporates many novel technologies, including a miniaturised reaction control system (RCS) and integrated avionics, which have been successfully proven during the tests, the defence ministry said in a statement.

“The missile is propelled by a dual-thrust solid motor and meant for neutralising low-altitude aerial threats at short ranges. The design of the missile including launcher has been highly optimised to ensure easy portability,” the statement added.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the DRDO and the Indian Army for the successful development trials and said the new missile.