Chandipur: DRDO, Indian Navy Conduct 2nd Test of VL-SRSAM From ITR

Chandipur, Sept 13: After successfully conduting the Vertical Launch Short Range Surface-to-Air Missile (VL-SRSAM) Thursday afternoon, the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Navy conducted a second testing of the VL-SRSAM, this morning.

The testing was conducted at 10.45 am from Launchpad No.3 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur, off the coast of Odisha, officials said.

The surface-to-air missile successfully hit a laser target flying near sea level. The VL-SRSAM missile has a target range of 80 km.

In another development, needful steps have been taken by the district and police administrations for the safety and evacuation of the public in the two and a half kilometer radius of the LC-III missile launch pad at Chandipur ITR.

All arrangements have been made by the district administration for the rehabilitation of a total of 3100 people -- 1,093 from Jaydevkasaba and Sahajanagar, 895 from Bhimpur and Tundra, and 1,112 from Khadu and Kusumuli -- from six hamlets.

The evacuation operation started at around 5 am Friday and the people will stay at the temporary camps until the missile test completion.

Earlier, the first testing of the VL-SRSAM missile was conducted at 3.19 pm Thursday from ITR, Chandipur.

According to the Defence Ministry, the flight test was carried out from a land-based vertical launcher, targeting a high-speed aerial target flying at a low altitude. The missile system successfully tracked and engaged the target.

The @DRDO_India and Indian Navy have successfully flight tested Vertical Launch Short Range Surface-to-Air Missile (VL-SRSAM) from the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur off the coast of Odisha today.

RM Shri @rajnathsingh has congratulated DRDO, Indian Navy and associated teams… pic.twitter.com/UezbdnYDgJ
— रक्षा मंत्री कार्यालय/ RMO India (@DefenceMinIndia) September 12, 2024

This test aimed to validate multiple updated elements of the weapon system, including the Proximity Fuse and Seeker. The performance of the system was meticulously tracked and confirmed by various instruments such as the Radar Electro-Optical Tracking System and telemetry deployed at ITR Chandipur.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh praised the teams from DRDO and the Indian Navy for their achievement, stating that this test reaffirms the reliability and effectiveness of the VL-SRSAM weapon system.

Secretary Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO also congratulated all the teams involved in the successful flight test of VL-SRSAM and said the system will prove to be a force multiplier for the Indian Navy.