THE Vertical Launch Short Range Surface to Air Missile (VL-SRSAM) designed for deployment onboard Indian Naval warships was successfully flight tested on Tuesday by Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO) for the second consecutive time since February this year. VL-SRSAM is meant for neutralising various aerial threats at close ranges, including sea-skimming targets, which are assets that fly as close as possible to sea surface to avoid being detected by the radars onboard warships. The test on Tuesday was conducted from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur, off the coast of Odisha. The launch was conducted from a vertical launcher against an electronic target at a very low altitude. “The flight path of the vehicle along with health parameters were monitored using a number of tracking instruments deployed by ITR, Chandipur. All sub-systems performed as per expectation," said a press statement from the Ministry of Defence. In its maiden trial held on February 22, the DRDO had tested the weapon system twice. Tuesday's launch of the system was conducted to validate integrated operation of all weapon system components, including the vertical launcher unit with controller, canisterised flight vehicle and weapon control system. The successful testing of these systems is crucial for future launches of the missile from Indian Naval ships. The test launch on Tuesday was monitored by senior officials from DRDO and the Indian Navy. The key DRDO facilities that contributed to the development of the system are Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) and Research Centre Imarat (RCI), both from Hyderabad, and Research & Development Establishment (Engineers), based at Pune. The press statement said: “Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has congratulated DRDO, Indian Navy and industry for the successful flight test and stated that this system will further enhance defence capability of Indian Naval Ships against aerial threats. DRDO Chairman Dr G Satheesh Reddy has complimented the teams involved in the successful flight test and said that this has paved the way for integration of weapon systems onboard Indian Naval Ships.”
