Indian Army Tests MRSAM Missile System; Scoring 4 Direct Hits in Back-to-Back Trials
The Indian Army has conducted four successive flight tests, through DRDO and Indian Army joint cooperation, of the MRSAM (Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile) system. The tests were conducted at the start of April near Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast. System performance validity testing occurred in the designated zone by having operators launch combat-ready targets at aerial objects moving at varied altitudes and ranges.
Through four successful tests the missile system proved its precision by successfully engaging four targets consisting of high-altitude and low-altitude and short-range objectives. The Army variant of the MRSAM serves as the joint product of DRDO and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to defend against aircraft, missiles and UAVs from up to 70 kilometers away. The three main elements of MRSAM consist of mobile launchers, a command post and multi-function radar as well as multiple supporting vehicles. Developmental tests of the system have been successful which now makes the system ready for deployment across two entire Army regiments. The successful test represents considerable advancement toward India deploying a new highly capable air defense system.
Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh praised DRDO with the Indian Army and partnered industries for their work on the system. Through DRDO supervision Eastern and Southern Command Army teams together with DRDO experts conducted tests of the electro-optical tracking and radar systems. Detection of aerial threats proved successful for the weapon system throughout all tests.
The system is 4.5 meters long, has a diameter of 0.2 meters and a weight of 275 kilograms. It uses two phases of solid-fuel rockets and carries a 60 kg high-explosive warhead system. An active radar seeker controls the terminal guidance function. The MF-STAR (Multi-Function Surveillance and Threat Tracking Radar)-based mobile autonomous launcher unit has a missile delivery capacity of eight launchers per system. The successful testing paves the way for the procurement and deployment of the Indian Army’s variant of MRSAM.